Forgiven
by cassandracook
Summary: A prophecy, a bloodline. One path light, one path dark. One destined for success, one doomed to fail. This is an exploration of the fine line that exists between love & hate. Post-war, 8th year. Probably one of the more realistic Harry/Draco pieces you will stumble upon. Updated at least once a week. Sequel promised.
1. Chapter 1

**Forgiven**

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I am merely borrowing them from the lovely JK Rowling for a bit. No copyright infringement intended._

_Rated M for sexual content, language & possible violence._

_Author's note: I have a sequel already written up for this, I'm really excited. This is a Drarry fic, you have been warned. I tried to stay as accurate as possible but some things have been changed for the sake of the story. I plan on this being decently long. I will update it at least once a week. And now I am proud to present to you, Forgiven._

**Chapter 1:**

"Oh honestly Harry just go give it to him," Hermione said. "You've been talking about it all summer and now you're just staring."

Harry glanced back over to where he saw the familiar figure leaning against the wall, also waiting to board the Hogwarts Express. Malfoy looked the same, with his platinum blonde hair slicked back and his features pointed and defined. His fashion sense was spot on as he continued to dress head to toe in black, which caused his skin to look even paler than it would have normally. But his face looked odd, the sneer that Harry had come to expect was replaced with something much less threatening but equally sour. Harry also took notice that his parents were not there to see him off. But he didn't find it strange, he knew that the only reason Malfoy was even allowed out of his manor was to finish school. After this he assumed his fate would be similar to that of his mother and father.

"Right," he said and reached into his pocket to grasp the wand he had for some reason grown accustomed to carrying in addition to his own. He looked to Hermione and Ron and with a grim nod he walked over to the place where the Slytherin stood. He swallowed before forcing himself to speak, "Malfoy."

The blonde turned and Harry could see his entire body tense up at the sight of him. He quickly recovered and a slight smirk appeared on the boys lips. His eyes which normally lit up at the sight of being able to torment someone were glazed over in a way that made Harry extremely uneasy.

"I wanted to give this to you," Harry continued and held the wand out to him. Draco stared down at it before reluctantly taking it and shoving it into his own pocket.

"I've already got a new one," he snarled as he looked directly into Harry's eyes causing him to linger there for a moment longer than he should have. Harry realized how awkward the situation had become and nodded his head curtly and turned to walk away. For some reason he had almost thought that since the war was over Malfoy would have changed, or at least become somewhat less arrogant…

"Potter," Malfoy called out. Harry turned his head, watching him pause and though it looked somewhat painful he heard him mutter, "Thanks."

Harry offered a weak smile and went to join Hermione and Ron who were getting ready to board the train for it had just arrived. The truce lay in that simple exchange and though Harry knew he could never be friends with Malfoy, he could tell that things would not be the way they were before.

He returned to Hermione and Ron and they found an empty compartment and got settled in.

"This is so surreal," Hermione was saying. "I had never thought we would be doing this again."

Harry and Ron both nodded their heads, pushing their trunks in the overhead compartment. It felt strange without Hedwig there to accompany him on the trip but he pushed the thought to the back of his head, he was determined to have a single day of happiness. Harry had been used to living a life of loss, but the past year he had experienced it in a way he didn't know possible. Some days it was hard for him to even find a reason to get out of bed. But he wasn't the only one suffering, he had stayed at the Burrow over the summer and Mrs. Weasley and George were both in far worse shape than he was. And although everyone had constantly reassured him that none of this was his fault, he couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible.

"So what happened?" Hermione finally asked, interrupting his gloomy thoughts.

"I just gave it back and he thanked me."

"He _thanked_ you?" Ron said, "Malfoy thanked you?"

Harry let out a small laugh and nodded, "Don't worry though, it looked as if the whole ordeal was extremely painful for him."

"I thought he might be different," Hermione said. "I'm not saying he won't bother us anymore but he hasn't got his father there to fix everything for him now."

"Dad said his parents got the trace put on them," Ron said as he bit into a sandwich Mrs. Weasley had made him for the ride. "They aren't allowed to leave the house. He was surprised they let Malfoy back in school."

"Ron, don't chew with your mouth full!" Hermione snapped and before long she and Ron had begun to bicker. Normally it would have annoyed Harry but he felt so content in that moment that it didn't bother him. A year ago he never thought he would go back to Hogwarts again. Now Voldemort was dead and he was able to return with his two best friends. He had one last year to sort out what he was going to do now that it was all over.

When they arrived at the castle they had all been surprised to see how good it looked. It was as if the battle had never happened. The only real difference Harry saw was the monument that had been put up in the Entrance Hall in remembrance of those who had lost their lives the past year. He saw the smiling faces of Lupin and Tonks, hand in hand. Beside them was Fred, Harry glanced at Ron nervously and saw Hermione grab his hand out of the corner of his eye. Harry was pleased to see that although they hadn't died in the castle, Moody and Dobby had both been added into it. Snape stood alongside Dumbledore, which caused the corners of his eyes to sting as they watered. The statue was large, there were so many people who had given their life for the cause. He felt a pain in his chest that he had become very familiar with over the past few months and it took everything inside of him not to let the tears in his eyes fall.

Hermione finally tore them both away and the three of them headed to their usual seats toward the end of the table with the other remaining seventh years in anticipation of the sorting ceremony. Professor McGonagall had taken over as Headmistress after Snape's passing and Harry couldn't have been happier with the choice. She was strict but he knew she had exactly what it took to run the school, especially after the war. He had a feeling she was the one behind the memorial.

"I think I could have gone my entire life not knowing what Thestrals looked like," Ron was saying as they sat down, his voice even though his face wore a rather gloomy expression.

"I think they are sort of nice," Hermione replied. "Really grim but sort of beautiful in a dark way. Plus they are really kind."

"You're starting to sound like Hagrid with all your love of Magical Creatures talk," Ron said teasingly.

Harry laughed in agreement and scanned the staff table, glad to have a distraction from the ache in his chest. He saw a few new faces. He then looked around at the rest of the house tables. He felt a slight pang of guilt as he saw how many students were missing. Compared to his first year, the school looked small. His eyes finally landed at the Slytherin table. Many of the students were younger and as his eyes moved up the table he realized less than half of the students in his year were there. As his gaze moved past Malfoy he felt heat creep up his neck and into his cheeks as their eyes caught for a slight moment and he felt a sudden burst of anger.

"I said hello Harry!"

Harry quickly tore his eyes away and looked to see who had sat beside him. He grinned and moved down a bit to make more room for Ginny Weasley. "Sorry, was just trying to figure out who the new Professors are."

"I heard they got Lorin Savage for Defense," she said. "He worked with Tonks and Kingsley, he's really good. A bit nutty though, he stayed with us for a bit at Aunt Muriel's." Harry stared ahead to see a fairly attractive man with dark hair and a noticeable scar stretching across his left cheek. He was in conversation with Hagrid and looked fairly amused at whatever story the half giant was telling.

"And they got the only other known Animagus alive besides McGonagall and Skeeter for Transfiguration. I think dad said her name was Wolfheart. She's a cat as well, bet her and McGonagall get on, eh?" Ron added. She was a middle aged woman and as opposed to McGonagall's tight bun on her head she wore her blue streaked hair long and flowing. Her eyes were large and catlike as she peered out over the table at her new students.

"Who do they have for Muggle studies?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"They thought about giving it to dad," Ginny laughed. "But I think by the looks of it they ended up with Perkins. The older one with the fluffy white hair, he was at Bill and Fleur's wedding last summer."

She pointed toward the table and Harry nodded and tried to pick out which person was which but he was interrupted by the start of the feast. He ate until he felt sick and was glad McGonagall had kept her speech short. He and Ron said goodnight to Ginny and Hermione and quickly went up to their dormitory. His four-poster had never looked so inviting. He climbed into it, drew the curtains and was fast asleep before Neville, Dean and Seamus had even come in.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks flew by. Harry had been busy scheduling Quidditch tryouts and between that and classes he had very little time to himself. He had NEWTS this year and just as it was his fifth year, his professors were piling on the homework. He had only seen Hagrid a handful of times and even his time with Ron and Hermione was limited. He was almost thankful for the sudden change of pace. Summer had been quiet and slow, it had given him far too much time to think.<p>

"Hi Harry!" His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the appearance of Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley in the library. He offered a smile to his friends and moved his books so they could sit down. He looked to Madam Pince and though she had clearly noticed his friend's entrance he was surprised that she didn't tell them off about the noise. He was beginning to get tired of the special treatment he was receiving, at this point her scolding would have comforted him.

"Have we got practice tonight?" Ginny asked, sitting beside him on the couch.

"As long as the weather holds up," Harry said. "I've still got to try out a few more people but I'm pretty sure I'll just be keeping the team we had my sixth year with Dean taking Katie's place."

"Good," She smiled and pushed a strand of her red hair back behind her ear, glancing to the window at the sky which looked as if it would threaten rain but also had a hopeful glow to it.

"Oh don't worry," Luna's soft voice came. "The Blibbering Humdinger's would appear if it were about to storm."

Harry shot Ginny a look as Luna looked around the room as if her mention of the made up creature would make them come out. Ginny was biting back laughter as her eye caught Harry's.

"But anyway I've got to be going, I have Care of Magical Creatures. I'll meet up with you in Potions Ginny. And Harry, I'll come watch practice later," she smiled and disappeared, humming as she could be heard skipping through the corridor.

"Did you drop Care of Magical Creatures?" Harry asked after she left, but he already had guessed the answer. He knew her true passion was Quidditch and Luna Lovegood was one of the only people he knew crazy enough to carry on in that course.

"Yes, I didn't have room for it this year" She replied, her eyes moving to his as she spoke. "I haven't really talked to you much lately," she said changing the subject.

"I've just been busy," he said lamely. He adjusted his glasses on his face and focused his attention back to the book in his lap.

"No pressure Harry," she said genuinely sounding as if she meant it. "We have both been through a lot, there's no need to rush anything. I just don't want it to be like this… you know, awkward."

Harry smiled at how well she knew him, relief flooding him. He had been avoiding her for the very reason. "Thanks Gin," he said and regained his Gryffindor courage, meeting her eyes once more.

"We'll always be friends, above all."

He nodded in agreement, closing the book and opening his bag to put that and his quill inside.

"I've got to get going but I'll see you tonight at practice," she smiled. "But Harry?" she paused. "Don't go off and fall in love with somebody else alright?" and although the grin remained on her face, he could feel the seriousness in her voice.

He couldn't find any words and just nodded his head, returning the smile. She turned and left the library a few moments later, leaving Harry back to his thoughts.

* * *

><p>The air was cool but the sun was still up and it gave off some warmth later that night. Harry and Ron arrived a few minutes early to set up. Hermione and Luna sat in the stands talking to each other as they waited for practice to start. More people came to the stands and eventually Harry's team arrived.<p>

He tried out a few more people and announced his final decision, which he figured wouldn't really surprise anyone. He had been happy with his team and he planned to win with them this time around. With Katie Bell replaced by Dean Thomas his team was set for success. His jealousy toward Dean had diminished and even if it hadn't he knew that Dean was his best option.

He was just about to start running plays when he noticed everyone's head was looking in the direction of the entrance to the pitch. He turned his head and groaned as he saw green and silver robes approaching.

"Potter! We've reserved the pitch for tonight," came Malfoys drawl as soon as he was in earshot. And just like that, their truce had vanished.

"I asked Madam Hooch for it two weeks ago Malfoy, sod off."

"Well that's strange, seeing as she gave it to us last night," Malfoy replied, his eyes locked on Harry's.

"We're not leaving," Harry said. In one fluid movement he watched Malfoy's hand dip into the pocket of his robe and his wand was pointed at Harry before he could even blink. But Ginny was too fast for him, the end of her wand shot out sparks but she missed and the hex hit Vaisey, their teams Chaser, square in the face. Within moments bats came swarming out of his nose. He heard Malfoy demand a girl he recognized as Astoria Greengrass to take him to the hospital wing.

"Surprised you can even play Quidditch Malfoy, didn't know they let death eaters in," Ron said with his wand raised. "Let alone be the bloody Captain."

Harry was ready for an all-out war at this point but he was surprised to see Malfoy lower his wand. His face was distorted in a look of pure disgust as he spat, "This isn't over." Without another word he turned to leave the pitch and his team followed, looking just as confused as Harry felt.

"Alright uh, well then…" Harry said trying to lighten the mood. "Uh right so we've got a good chance of winning this year," he said to everyone around him. "Let's run a few plays and then plan on meeting here every other day until our first match against Slytherin. Ginny, Dean and Demelza try scoring on Ron. Peakes and Coote, I'll let the bludgers out. Now make sure you work around them, we don't need anyone hurt before our first match."

Everyone laughed as they broke apart and mounted their broomsticks. Harry did the same, kicking off the ground just as he saw the snitch disappear. A chill was sent through his body but it wasn't from temperature, it was from being on a broomstick again. He hadn't had the sensation of flying in nearly a year. The feeling was one he would never get over, it was one of the things that he loved most about the wizarding world. He looked around at everyone, pleased to see that although Ron also hadn't had much practice, his stage fright seemed to have disappeared. He felt great soaring through the air, the wind forcing his hair back, his robes whipping behind him.

When practice was finally over, Harry was fairly confident in his team. His conversation with Ginny was still fresh his mind and he felt as if he couldn't be happier. He held hope that the sadness that normally crippled him at night when he was lying alone would possibly spare him that night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Forgiven**

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I am merely borrowing them from the lovely JK Rowling for a bit. No copyright infringement intended._

_Rated M for sexual content, language & possible violence._

_Author's note: If anyone has any suggestions or anything feel free to leave them!_

**Chapter 2:**

Draco pushed the door to the potions classroom open and quietly made his way to his usual seat. He had been a few minutes late so several of the Gryffindor's and the few Slytherin's left stared at him as he passed. He slid into his chair and kept his head down.

Slughorn was rambling on about something and he tried to catch on but it was hopeless, he had no idea what was going on. Eventually he quit talking and Draco knew it meant it was time for them to begin making whatever potion they were studying that day. He glanced around, it appeared that people were partnering up. He sighed knowing that no one from his own house would want to be with him aside from Blaise who was already setting up with Theo Nott. He had become quite an outcast now that the war was over, the Malfoy's were considered traitors now.

"Mr. Potter! It appears you and Mr. Malfoy are both without a partner!" Slughorn said at an unnecessarily loud volume. Draco glanced and noticed Weasley and Granger had partnered up and left Potter on his own.

Each boy's head snapped up in horror, then they both groaned loudly. Harry noisily stood up and moved his books up two tables next to Draco. He had already decided he was going to refuse to move and was pleased when Potter joined him at his table.

"Right. So what are we doing?" He said immediately.

"Seriously?" Potter said, looking rather aggravated. "Augendae Sensus Potion. We have to try it out ourselves when we're done so don't mess it up."

"Seriously?" Draco replied in the same irritated tone Potter had used. He saw a slight smile play on the lips of the Gryffindor and he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Their last encounter had been quite unpleasant, maybe this one wouldn't be as bad.

"You know what it is?"

"Of course I know what it is," Draco hissed. "Increases your senses abilities. That's basic. Now go fetch the ingredients, Malfoy's do not do the dirty work," a smirk naturally surfaced to his lips.

"Fine." Harry wasn't in the mood to argue so he stood up and walked to the front of the room to collect what they needed. He returned a few moments later and laid each one out on the table.

Draco instantly took over, barking orders at Harry to cut up the dandelion roots into small pieces while he mixed vinegar and bat blood into the cauldron. Harry seemed irritated but he had the roots cut up. They added those and waited a few moments watching the contents turn a pleasing lavender color. A few more ingredients later and after several moments of waiting for the exact right stir to add them, their potion was complete.

"Alright everyone, finish up," Slughorn called out moments later. "It's time to try what you've made! Besides you Longbottom and Finnegan that looks toxic," He chuckled. Draco glanced to their steaming cauldron and saw a thick puke green substance.

Harry ladled out two cups of the thin purple potion and pushed one over to Draco. He stared down at it nervously. He was good at potions but he didn't know how confident he was of this batch. If it went wrong he assumed it wouldn't be a pleasant side effect. He watched Harry drain his glass in a single swig, his face twisting up as if it had been unpleasant.

"Harry!" The timing was perfect, as Potter turned his head Draco dumped his potion back into the cauldron. Potter stood up and was walking over to whomever had shouted for his attention and Draco began to pack up his things. He was out the door before Harry had even returned to fetch his things.

Draco spent the remainder of his day in the Slytherin common room, blowing off his last two classes. Just before dinner the door to the room had swung open and in came Pansy Parkinson, her dark hair that was cropped short to frame her face was shining under the light.

"Hello Draco," Pansy said sweetly as she sank into the chair next to him.

"Talking to me now?" He spat back at her.

"Guess I feel bad you had to be Potter's partner today," she grinned. He couldn't help but smile as well.

"Well good, I've gotten sick of only having Zabini to talk to," He replied.

"Yes, Blaise is fun and all but nothing beats gossiping with me," she giggled and ran a hand through her hair. "You want to go down to dinner?"

"Yes, I'm starving," He said. They both stood up and left the dungeons, heading to the Great Hall.

Once inside he couldn't help but look to the Gryffindor table out of an old habit from sixth year, curious to see if Potter was there yet. He didn't see the jet black hair anywhere and briefly wondered what he was up to.

"Are you even listening to me?" Pansy whined. They were seated with Blaise, Daphne Greengrass and her younger sister Astoria. Draco hadn't realized how much he had missed having friends, people to talk to. He had the Quidditch team but he felt like most of them only spoke to him because they had to. It gave him some of his confidence back to have Pansy there and he felt better than he had since his return to Hogwarts.

"No," Blaise replied in a rude tone. They all laughed including Pansy though she did let out a dramatic sigh after.

"Parkinson is _so_ misunderstood," Draco cooed and shot her a playful smile. But his attention left the conversation again as he watched Weasley and Granger enter the hall, missing a very important member of their trio. His stomach turned and he set down his fork, no longer having any sort of appetite. He absolutely loathed Potter but after all that had happened he honestly hadn't wanted anything to happen to him. He had saved him and his family's life, for this he owed him what the wizarding world called a life debt. He had suspected that that was the very reason his strong feelings of revulsion toward the Gryffindor had slowly begun to dissolve.

"I wonder where Potter is," Daphne said her gaze following Draco's.

"He wasn't in Defense, neither were those two," Blaise said nodding toward Weasley and the mudblood.

"I saw them helping Potter down the corridor earlier," Astoria offered. She was rather pretty, better looking than her sister anyway. She had dark hair and sharp features. Her voice was cold, and she seemed to sound bored though her eyes had lit up at the mention of the drama.

"I think it's my fault," Draco said. Blaise raised his eyebrows and motioned his hand as if saying that he should go on. "I mean I didn't drink the potion but Potter did."

"Brilliant," Blaise grinned. "Payback for splitting you open in sixth year, eh?"

Draco forced himself to laugh. He was about to say something in reply but he stopped as he watched Horace Slughorn approach their table.

"Ah! Mr. Malfoy, could I have a word?" He said, turning to leave the Great Hall without a reply. Draco stood up and gave his friends a look before hurrying behind his head of house.

"It seems Mr. Potter had a bad reaction to the Augendae Sensus," he glanced around nervously and leaned in a bit closer to Draco, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes sir I feel fine," Draco said.

"I've been asked to take you to the hospital wing to stay overnight… just in case."

Refusing to admit to Slughorn that he hadn't even drank the potion he nodded, "What's wrong with Potter?"

"He's temporarily lost his sight," Professor Slughorn replied. "I'm whipping up what I believe is the antidote but it will take a few days to perfect I'm afraid…"

"Do I _have_ to stay in the hospital wing?" He asked, sighing in an annoyed manner.

"Professor McGonagall insists Draco my boy," Slughorn said finally returning to his normal booming self as he clapped him on the back. "Potter almost fell down the steps when it hit, she doesn't want anything like that to happen to you."

Draco nodded and Slughorn turned to take him up to the wing, motioning for him to follow. Once he arrived upstairs Madam Pomfrey didn't make her usual fuss, but instead hardly spoke to him as she showed him to a bed. He had been used to the unfriendly treatment from not only the students but also even some of the Professor's since his return.

Slughorn wished him a goodnight and he slipped in between the sheets as Pomfrey pulled the curtains closed around his bed. He could hear Granger and Weasley enter the room some time later but he ignored their hushed whispers.

Draco glanced out the window and realized it was dark out by the time he heard them leave. He imagined the air to be cool and crisp, a perfect fall night. The moon was bright and it filled the room with light even after Madam Pomfrey shut off the lights. He heard her walking around before finally going into her own room, closing the door rather loudly.

He got out of bed the moment she was gone and moved to the window, looking out over the grounds. He wondered if Potter's bed was in the next room over or if he was somewhere across the room. He assumed he was probably sleeping and didn't have any desire to wake him. He wondered what he had done to fuck up the potion. He tried to recall exactly what he had added. Maybe it wasn't entirely his fault, maybe Potter had grabbed the wrong ingredient.

"Malfoy?" The unmistakable voice of Harry Potter carried to where Draco stood. He swallowed thickly and turned from the window.

"What?" He said back after a few moments.

"What the bloody fuck did you do to me?" He sounded irate but Draco could also sense his fear.

"I didn't do a damn thing to you Potter, go to bed." He spat back but instead of getting into his bed he opened the curtains to his room and located Potter fairly easily, they were the only two in the wing that night.

Potter was lying in bed, his glasses next to him on the bedside table. He was sitting upright and his eyes were moving wildly around the room as if desperately trying to locate Draco's position.

"I know you're standing right there," Potter growled.

"Good job," Draco sniggered.

"What did you do to me Malfoy?" He repeated.

"I purposefully caused you to go blind and placed myself in the hospital wing on purpose clearly," he snapped back sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Why haven't you lost your sight too?"

Draco shrugged but he realized Potter couldn't see him and quickly said, "We must have just reacted to it differently. It worked fine for me," He added lying through his teeth.

Potter didn't look convinced but he also didn't reply. He looked vulnerable sitting there and Draco was ashamed to admit to himself that he felt another sudden pang of guilt.

"Are you still here?" Potter said in a hushed tone.

Draco paused for a moment, "Yes. I'm still here Potter."

"This is weird," the raven haired boy said. "Being blind I mean, I feel so helpless."

Draco stayed silent, he didn't know how to reply. He realized his only encounters with Potter had been filled with hateful comments and hexes. He and his family had lost so much the last few months and he knew he should hate the boy in front of him even more than he had before but something inside him wouldn't allow it.

"Do you- Do you like… need anything?" He finally murmured, it sounded more foully than he had meant but he figured it was the thought that counted.

Now it was Potter's turn to stay silent, he looked as if he had just been stunned. But he recovered quickly and shook his head. Draco felt heat steal into his cheeks, thankful that the Gryffindor couldn't see him. He turned to leave, trying to be loud about the ordeal so Potter knew that he was gone.

"Malfoy?" Harry called after him. Draco paused and glanced over his shoulder, "Thanks."

A small smile pulled the corners of his lips as he remembered their similar encounter a month earlier at Kings Cross. He pulled the curtains closed to his own section and climbed back into bed. He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight Potter," Draco said softly.

Draco spent the next day in the hospital wing. His promise to be released in the morning was pushed to the next day as Potter's symptoms didn't improve. He was beginning to feel rather lonely when the sound of a female clearing her throat came from behind him. He turned his head to see who was there, half expecting it to be Parkinson.

"Astoria?" He said, surprised to see the sixth year girl.

"Hi," she said politely, taking a seat in the chair that was beside his hospital bed. "Sorry if I'm bothering you, I just noticed you weren't at any meals today and I thought I would come check up on you."

He gracefully hoisted himself into the windowsill, turning to face her, "No other reason?" He offered a sly grin and he was pleased to see a small blush creep to her cheeks.

"If you don't want me here, I'll go…" she trailed off, her voice casual.

"I'm just giving you a hard time," He slipped off the sill and moved to lean against the wall. "I'm glad to see a Slytherin, half the Gryffindor house has been through here today," He said gesturing toward where Harry's section was.

"You seem alright," she said almost ignoring his attempt at conversation.

"I'm fine, they're just keeping me here until tomorrow morning in case I somehow had a delayed reaction to the potion," He winked at her with a slight smirk.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"He's briefly lost his sight," Draco ran a hand through his blonde hair, which he usually kept slicked back. He hadn't showered so it was limp and unkempt, falling into his eyes relentlessly.

"Well that's too bad for Potter," she said disdainfully. Astoria looked into Draco's eyes as she spoke, he noticed hers were a pale blue. Her tongue darted from her mouth and licked her cherry red lips before she abruptly stood up. "I should get going, it's almost curfew."

"Alright Greengrass," He glanced outside and saw it was dark. "I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow."

She smiled and crossed the room, carefully leaning up to place a soft kiss to his cheek, "Goodnight Draco."

He had been flirting with her shamelessly but the sudden feel of her lips on his skin had been off-putting. He had kissed plenty of women, hell he had even slept with a few. But he knew and had always known deep down that he didn't have any sort of sexual attraction to them. He liked men. He had never actually admitted it to anyone but Blaise and his mother. He knew if his father found out he would never accept him. Being gay in the wizarding world wasn't necessarily a big deal but it was also something he didn't really think was worth broadcasting.

He slipped his shirt over his head and then pulled his pajama bottoms on. He didn't bother with the top, Pomfrey had gone to her quarters an hour ago and Potter couldn't see. He considered crawling into bed but couldn't resist himself. His favorite person to antagonize was lying only feet away…

"Potter," he called out.

"What?" came the reply in a soft growl.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," he sniggered. "I was just wondering if you were asleep."

"Why?" Harry said. Draco moved silently out into the open to where Harry was again lying in bed, his glasses off.

"Because I was planning to jerk off, obviously" he said sarcastically. "I don't know I was just curious." Draco didn't even have to look to know that Potter was blushing furiously.

"I'm not tired," Potter finally said. "I've got to get out of here for a while."

"Now you're talking," Draco grinned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Forgiven**

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I am merely borrowing them from the lovely JK Rowling for a bit. No copyright infringement intended._

_Rated M for sexual content, language & possible violence._

_Author's note: I am so beyond happy people are actually reading this :)_

**Chapter 3:**

"Wi-Will you help me?" Harry finally said. He hated asking but he couldn't stay in the hospital wing a moment longer and he knew he couldn't go off on his own.

Draco didn't respond but he could hear his footsteps as walked to his bed, pushing the covers back for him and grabbing his hand. Harry was surprised at the contact but quickly got to his feet. He couldn't help but notice that the Slytherin smelled of pine needles. The last two days had forced him to rely more on his other senses making it easier for him to pick out such details. Malfoy helped him into some shoes and guided him to the door.

"Have you got that cloak?" Malfoy asked, stopping them for a moment.

"I always do, it's in the pocket of my robes… I'm not sure where she put them though."

The warmth radiating from Malfoy's body left his side and he could hear him rummaging around. He finally returned and thrust the cloak into Harry's arms. The materiel was smooth in his hand and though he had felt it a thousand times, he appreciated it so much more now that he didn't have his sight. He tossed the cloak over both of them and was surprised to feel Malfoy's arm slip around his waist as he guided him out and down the corridor.

"Malfoy?" Harry's questioning whisper came. "Have you not got a shirt on?"

"No," Malfoy replied simply.

"Really you couldn't have done that before we left?" Harry's voice sounded irritated but he didn't pull away from him.

"Nope."

Harry knew without being able to look that a signature smirk was upon the blonde's lips as he replied. "Where are we going anyway?" Harry added as an afterthought.

"Right now we are passing by Moaning Myrtle's bathroom so keep your voice down," he snapped. "Last thing I need is to be reunited with her without my shirt on."

After making their way down the first set of moving stairs, Harry realized how truly difficult of a task it was going to be moving around the castle blind. Malfoy continued to guide Harry with his arm but he still felt uneasy. He briefly wondered if their feet were showing, he knew Malfoy was a few inches taller than himself. He wasn't necessarily worried about what would happen to him if they were caught, he could tell everyone in here to fuck themselves and still get treated like a king. Malfoy on the other hand…

"More stairs are coming, we are going down. There's one, two…" Malfoy counted them out twice before finishing, "twelve of them."

Harry nodded and dipped his foot down, half expecting there not to be any steps. Malfoy would definitely be the type to pull something like this just for the sake of watching Harry fall on his face. But his foot connected with stone and he was relieved as it happened eleven more times.

They moved quietly and rather quickly despite Harry's lack of sight. Harry could tell they were headed somewhere specific but Malfoy refused to tell him where. Anxiety was building in him as he realized that if Malfoy decided to pull something he would be stranded with absolutely no idea where he was. Malfoy removed his arm from Harry and he heard the squeak of a door being opened. He could feel a hand at the small of his back pushing him through what he assumed was the frame.

"Potter, I'm going to go get something from my dormitory. Wait here."

"Where are we?" Harry asked, his stomach turning.

"Just by the dungeons, I'll only be a second."

Harry was about to protest but Malfoy's presence had disappeared and he felt the cloth of the cloak drape completely around him as the other boys footsteps echoed off the corridor. "Malfoy!" He called after him, suddenly realizing his fear was a very real possibility.

"Just wait there," he heard Malfoy hiss back, his footsteps slowly fading away.

Harry groaned and put his hands out in front of him, feeling around helplessly in the dark. He began to panic and changed direction, trying to find a wall. His hands finally hit something and he let out a soft sigh of relief as he pressed his back to the stone and slumped down. He didn't know what he was going to do if Malfoy didn't come back. He could always take the cloak off and wait for someone to come by but if he was really in the dungeons, and the damp air around him told him Malfoy was most likely not lying about that, then the next person to come along was most likely going to be a Slytherin. He silently cursed himself for being dumb enough to follow Draco fucking Malfoy around while he was without one of his most important senses.

His entire body tensed up as he heard the unmistakable sound of someone walking toward him. It grew closer and he pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees, hoping they wouldn't trip over him.

"Potter?"

A wave of relief washed over him as the sound of Malfoy's voice reached him. He quickly stood up and pulled the cloak off himself to reveal to him where he was. The scent of pine needles filled his nose and he felt Malfoy grab his elbow.

"No wonder you always got caught sneaking around at night, I could hear you breathing from my common room," Malfoy taunted him. "We don't need the cloak, we're almost there."

Harry tried not to grin at the comment and tucked the cloak underneath his arm, missing its warmth. The air was getting cooler as they progressed. He heard another door open and he could tell he was being lead outside. "Where are we going Malfoy?" Harry finally dared to speak, continuing to whisper just in case he had somehow been wrong about their location.

"We're outside, do you think you can walk down the hill?" Malfoy asked.

Harry nodded his head and without thinking about it he used the hand of the arm Malfoy was not holding to grab the other boys arm. There was a silent understanding and he felt Malfoy's hand slip into his as he stepped in front of him and lead him down. He noticed that Malfoy's hands were callused but soft. He had never realized how steep the hill was, it was a bit unnerving. He almost tripped a few times but Malfoy was able to steady him before he injured himself. He was beginning to get annoyed wondering why he wasn't warning him about the uneven parts of the ground. But it began to level out and Malfoy dropped his hand, guiding him by the elbow again.

"We're going to sit down now," Malfoy commanded.

He felt the absence of the Slytherin and he assumed he had sat down so he joined him. The ground was a bit wet and he felt the night dew seeping through his pajama bottoms. There was grass underneath his palms as he felt around. He heard the sound of glass against glass and the distinctive scent of whiskey. He hadn't drank it often, but he had been around it enough times to recognize the smell.

"Do you drink?" Malfoy asked, already forcing his hands around a glass before he could answer.

"Sometimes," Harry lied, taking the glass. He could hear Malfoy noisily gulping from his own cup, shuddering beside him from the intensity of his first drink. "Are we by the lake?"

"Yep, full moon tonight."

Sadness filled Harry as he thought of Remus Lupin at the mention of the full moon. He stayed silent and took a drink from his glass, nearly gagging from the heat warming his mouth and throat. The feeling reached his stomach and it felt as if the liquid spread to every part of his body, warming even the tips of his toes. His unpleasant thoughts faded as he become progressively number. "What's it look like?" Harry asked.

"Well it's the moon. And the black lake," Malfoy said his voice threatening a laugh. "You've been out here at night. Do I really have to describe it to you like some bloody romance novel?"

"Ah yes, the one where the boy blinds the girl and leads her to the lake in the middle of the night to get her drunk," Harry snorted. "One of my personal favorites. And for your information I have never come out here at night."

"Really?" Malfoy said sounding genuinely surprised. "This is one of my favorite places to go, especially at night."

"I've been out here for other things but never to relax," He took another sip from his glass, he was happy that the second drink came as less of a shock.

"And for your information Potter," Malfoy said putting emphasis on his name, "I didn't blind you." There was the sound of glass on glass again and Harry figured he had finished his drink and was going for a second.

"Don't drink too much, you've got to be able to get me back to the castle," Harry warned him as he drained his own cup into his mouth.

"You do realize you've just compared yourself to the role of the female in this dynamic right?" Draco said, his voice was laced with overconfidence. Harry could tell he wasn't the only one that the alcohol was hitting.

"Doesn't matter, we aren't in a romance novel," He answered though he could feel his face growing red. Why had he said that?

Draco didn't have a comeback to this apparently because he didn't reply. Harry clumsily felt around for the bottle and after tipping it over twice he felt two hands a bit larger than his own grip his, assisting him in pouring another glass. He mumbled a thank you and eagerly drank more, it seemed to be dulling his feeling of being helpless and he couldn't get enough. He hated not being able to do simple things for himself. He remembered that one of the Dursley's neighbors on Privet Drive was an older blind gentleman. He lived alone with only a dog and the occasional visit from a relative to help him. Harry had no idea how he did it, it been two days and he felt as if he were going mad in constant darkness.

"What are you thinking about?" Malfoy said, his words beginning to slur together as he poured himself what Harry guessed was his fourth glass of whiskey.

"How people live blind like this all their lives," Harry said. He was glad he had chosen that time to ask him, the topic was innocent enough. "I hope Slughorn's got the antidote for this by tomorrow. I can't stand another day of this," He paused for a moment to take a drink. "What about you?"

"You."

Harry swallowed roughly, his head jerking up to face the direction of which he thought Malfoy was sitting. "Me? What about me?"

"Just how strange this is," Malfoy said. "I never thought I'd be sitting here sharing a drink with the bloody chosen one."

"Don't call me that," Harry said sharply. "I know what you mean though, we've always hated each other. It is a bit… bizarre."

"I never hated you," Malfoy articulated very clearly, as if that single sentence was one he wanted Harry to know that he meant in their current state.

"How do you figure?" Harry asked after a significant pause. He nervously ran his finger around the rim of the glass in his hand.

"Of course I didn't like you, that's obvious. I suppose I still don't. I'm just saying I never hated you. If I did there are plenty of times I could have fucked you over but chose not to."

"Don't try and act selfless Malfoy, you're nothing but a coward," Harry said before he could stop to think if he really wanted to insult the boy who was going to get him safely back to his bed. He wished more than anything for his sight to return so he could see the expression on the other's face, he couldn't gauge how much he had insulted him.

"I'd love to come back with something equally offensive but I'm far too drunk," Malfoy paused for a moment, "Did you ever think that maybe we were both born into something we didn't want? That maybe you weren't the only one who suffered?" Draco's voice was growing increasingly loud and Harry could tell he had definitely hit a nerve.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this while we're drinking," Harry muttered.

"Do you honestly think that there will ever be another chance to talk about this?" Malfoy asked.

"Let's just go back to the castle," Harry finally said.

"Fine," Malfoy snarled. Harry felt him rummaging around beside him. He grabbed Harry's glass from his hand rather forcefully and he heard the sound of something hitting water, then two more glugs. Malfoy must have tossed their bottle and the cups into the lake. He stood up beside him and got ready to feel around, he didn't know how much help he would be getting now that he had pissed Malfoy off.

"Come here," the blonde said, grabbing Harry's arm. Harry was appreciative and stayed closely beside him. He noticed that the other boy now had a shirt on, the materiel was silky. It was something he would only expect Malfoy to wear.

The walk up turned out to be much easier for Harry. The sudden seriousness had taken away a lot of his feelings of drunkenness and he knew more of what to expect now that he could visualize where he was going in his head. Once they reached the castle Harry felt Malfoy get closer to him for a moment as he pulled the cloak back over them. There was a tension between them that Harry was sure if he could see it would have taken a physical form. Malfoy still held his elbow but it was nothing like it had been before. On their way there Malfoy had been careful, almost thoughtful. But now he was just sort of dragging Harry along.

When they finally reached the hospital wing Malfoy helped Harry back to his bed. Harry climbed into it after slipping his shoes off and heard the other boy shuffling off. He crawled beneath the covers and rolled onto his side. He thought about the scene that had just played out and couldn't help but wonder if maybe Malfoy was right. He suddenly felt sympathy for him. Despite everything that had happened between them throughout the past 8 years, he couldn't help but think that maybe he had been wrong. Malfoy was an ungrateful, arrogant asshole that was for sure. But maybe he just didn't know how else to act. Maybe he didn't understand that you could be respected without being rich or powerful. Maybe he, just like Harry, didn't know who he was now that he didn't have something to fight for. He finally forced the thoughts from his head and closed his eyes, pulling the blankets further up his body.

And though he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or it was the alcohol, or maybe even a combination of the two he heard "I want you to know that I am going to do whatever it takes for you to change your mind Potter" which was accompanied by the faintest scent of pine needles…


	4. Chapter 4

**Forgiven**

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I am merely borrowing them from the lovely JK Rowling for a bit. No copyright infringement intended._

_Rated M for sexual content, language & possible violence._

_Author's note: I would love to hear from any of you! Hope you're all having a fantastic day._

**Chapter 4:**

"_Your son had a single task, Lucius..." Came the familiar voice, "He was chosen."_

"_He's just a boy master!" Draco could hear his mother pleading, dropping to her knees as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her dark dress robes pooled around her as she sobbed silently into her hands._

"_Enough!" The Dark Lord hissed at the blonde woman begging at his feet. "I am speaking to your husband Narcissa. You will get your turn…" The pale being that towered over both his parents continued, "He has failed to complete his task and you have both failed me…"_

"_My lord please," Lucius said his voice almost unrecognizable to Draco as it was laced with something he had never associated his father with; fear and weakness. "We have faithfully served you from the beginning. And as my wife has said, he is just a boy… not even of age..."_

"_And what is your definition of faithful, Lucius?" Voldemort said calmly, sounding slightly amused. Draco's aunt Bella began cackling wildly at this, her eyes bulging from her head, her dark frizzy hair shaking with each tremor of her body. Draco could hear his heart beating in his chest, every hair on the back of his neck was standing on end as he watched his father struggle to find words._

"_Please…" was all he came up with. Bellatrix erupted in another fit of laughter._

"_Silence Bellatrix!" Voldemort bellowed, pointing a long finger in her direction. She instantly stopped and regained her composure. "Is that all Lucius? These are the words you have chosen in an attempt to spare the lives of your loving wife and only son?"_

"_Mr. Malfoy!"_

"_Mr. Malfoy!"_

"Mr. Malfoy!"

Draco awoke suddenly, sweat covering every inch of his body. He pulled the damp sheets from himself, gasping for breath as he sat up searching for whoever had been saying his name. He finally turned to see Professor McGonagall standing to the other side of his bed, looking concerned. He had never been so happy to see her in his life. In fact he had never actually thought he would be happy to see her.

"Mr. Malfoy, are you alright?" She asked. "I didn't mean to give you a fright."

He nodded his head, trying to control his shaking hands as he moved them to push his hair from sticking to his face. He knew he wasn't very convincing but she seemed to accept his answer.

"You're alright to leave after you drink this" she said. She handed him a small vial of a greenish potion and he gave her a questioning look. "It's a bit of the antidote we gave Potter. It won't hurt you, just a precaution."

He took it from her and swallowed its contents, silently praying that that was true even if he hadn't drank the original potion in the first place. He groaned as he sat up, his head pounding as his hangover began to kick in. "Can I leave now Professor?" He asked.

"Yes, you've been excused from classes for yesterday but as for the ones you skipped…" She made a soft tutting sound with her tongue. "You are expected to make those up. Now hurry along, breakfast ends in twenty minutes!" She left the room, her green velvet robes billowing out behind her.

He climbed out of bed feeling somewhat disoriented. He found his clothes and put them on, struggling to tie his tie as his head continued to ache. He pulled his robes on and gathered up the rest of his things. He wondered if he would be able to make it to the dungeons for his books and to breakfast without being late for his first class.

As he was exiting the room, he walked past Potter. He could tell he had regained his vision because he was wearing his glasses and was up walking around collecting his things. Their eyes caught for a moment and Harry gave him a sincere nod of his head. Draco kept his face neutral and left the room without any sort of acknowledgment at all.

* * *

><p>As the weeks passed Draco grew used to sleeping very little due to his nightmares. It caused him to spend a lot of time by himself, especially at night. It also made him extremely touchy and many of his friends had begun to avoid him. The only plus side to this was that his homework was always done. On this particular Thursday evening he sat in the Library alone, pouring over his Charms book. The words had begun to blur together hours ago and his eyes stung as he forced himself to keep them open. He finally gave up, glancing to the clock and realizing dinner was almost over. He gathered up his things and headed to the Great Hall.<p>

He took a seat beside Blaise and across from Pansy and Astoria. Along with not being able to sleep Draco had also lost his appetite. He took a drink from his goblet of pumpkin juice and tried to force himself to take a bite from a dinner roll.

"Was beginning to wonder when you would turn up," Blaise said with a laugh.

"I was just in the library," he mumbled holding back a yawn. Blaise must have read his tone because he turned to Pansy and continued talking to her about some Divination homework they had. He had dropped it his fifth year and lost interest in the conversation immediately. He looked at Astoria, finally acknowledging her presence with a nod. He was somewhat disgusted at the effect his attention had on her but he ignored it. She was twirling some spaghetti around the end of her fork, the noodles wrapping around the prongs with each spin of the utensil.

"Have we got practice tonight?" she asked with a yawn.

"Tomorrow," he said as he stood up, hardly having touched his food. "Will you tell the rest of the team? There's something I've got to take care of."

He could sense her disappointment as he left but out of the corner of his eye he had watched Potter get up from the Gryffindor table alone. He wasn't quite sure what possessed him to do it, maybe it was the fact that he hadn't slept in days, but he followed after him. Potter turned the corner and when Draco was sure they were alone he finally dared to hiss "Potter."

The Gryffindor turned around quickly, a look of confusion plastered on his face. "…Malfoy?"

Draco closed the distance between them rather quickly and motioned for Potter to continue walking. They fell into step beside one another before he spoke again. "I need to talk to you."

"You're talking to me right now" Potter said.

"Obviously," Draco shot him a look. "I meant later. Meet me by the lake, where I took you when we were in the hospital wing?" He hated how unsure he sounded as he spoke. He normally portrayed himself to others as someone who exuded confidence and this sudden bout of self-doubt was off-putting, even to himself.

"I was blind Malfoy," Harry said. "I don't know where that is."

"Oh for merlin's sake Potter just meet me by the fucking lake," Draco snapped, rolling his eyes.

Potter looked apprehensive about the whole encounter but he nodded his head slowly. "Er- yeah, fine… What time?"

"Midnight. Don't be late," Draco said with as much dignity as he could muster. He saw Potter open his mouth to retort but he turned away from him heading back in the direction he had come. He walked back to the common room and sank into one of the chairs. He let his head fall back and the war in his head began its usual back and forth as it always had when it came to Potter. He groaned, his eyes focusing on the flames dancing in the fireplace.

He had been fighting it for years. Behind every rude comment, every hex, every cold stare had been something he knew that Potter could never understand. He had always craved Potter's attention, negative or positive, it didn't matter. Something about even just a single glance from the Gryffindor was so satisfying to him. His taunting had become constant as time went on because he needed it. Any sort of passion that came from Potter was better than the endless state of numbness he had begun to exist in after Voldemort had made his return. But he knew that things were different now, Potter seemed too tired to play into his games anymore. Draco was tired too and he needed more.

His thoughts were interrupted by several of the Slytherins returning from dinner. Pansy came in and forced herself onto his lap, he groaned and tried to push her off, "I'm not in the mood Pans."

"You never are," she said with a pout. "Let's do something fun."

"Like what?" he asked finally accepting that she wasn't going to get off him and letting his arm fall to rest around her waist. It was a gesture many people would have looked at as something almost suggestive but they both knew better. They had tried dating in their younger years and it just hadn't worked out. It was obvious to him that it was because he didn't like women but she had just attributed it to the face that they had known each other for too long, their bond being something more related to that of siblings than lovers.

"We could drink?" she said and turned, her big brown eyes staring into his as she relaxed into him. "Ooh or we could go up to the Astronomy tower!" The words left her mouth before she had thought it through and Draco forced himself up, pushing her onto the floor. "No Draco! I'm sorry!" she called as he left, disappearing into the dormitories.

"What's wrong with you?" Goyle asked looking up from his copy of the Daily Prophet as Draco stormed in, rummaging through the trunk at the end of his four-poster. He ignored him and finally his fingers closed around his last bottle of whiskey. He withdrew it, slipped it into the pocket of his robes and left as abruptly as he had come in, leaving Goyle looking completely puzzled.

The sun was setting as he walked down to the lake. He had a lot of time to kill before Potter would get there. He took a seat in his usual spot under a tree where no one from the castle would be able to see him. He laid back on the cool earth and let his eyes fall close, the image of Albus Dumbledore being murdered replaying over and over again in his mind no thanks to the carelessness of Pansy Parkinson.

* * *

><p>"Malfoy?" He heard as he was nudged awake. His eyes snapped open and he shot up into a sitting position. He instantly ran a hand over his head to make sure that each strand of his platinum blonde hair had stayed in its proper place. He looked around, it was now pitch black with only the light being that of the moon. It cast a pale glow over his surroundings and he finally focused his eyes onto the figure who had woken him.<p>

"How long have you been here?" Potter asked as he sat down beside him, folding his legs Indian style. Draco watched Harry's emerald green eyes taking in his appearance. "No offense Malfoy but you look awful."

"Thanks for that," Draco growled as he allowed himself to relax again. "I must have fallen asleep." They sat in silence for a moment as Draco rubbed the sleep from his eyes and then straightened out his robes. He glanced at the boy next to him, Potter's hair was disheveled as always, his round glasses sitting crooked on his face. He was wearing a pair of loose black slacks and a Gryffindor sweater.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Potter finally asked, looking slightly uncomfortable under Draco's intent stare.

Draco felt his cheeks burn, suddenly asking himself the same question. What was he supposed to say to him? I don't get off on hurting you anymore so why don't we try something else? He wanted to laugh at the very thought of such a conversation. He kept his cool but forced himself to say, "Well Potter. I'm not doing very well."

He could see Potter nod his head out of the corner of his eye, "What do you mean exactly?"

Draco sighed and took the whiskey from its place in his pocket, this was where the alcohol was going to come in handy. He took a swig from the bottle and offered it to Potter. They passed it back and forth a few times before Draco found his liquid courage. "I haven't had a full night of sleep in over two weeks" He muttered.

"Two weeks!" Potter exclaimed. "You should see Madam Pomfrey or Professor Slughorn."

"What are they going to do? Give me a potion? What happens when I don't have the potion?" Draco said as he took another drink.

"Well what am I going to do about it?" Potter said slowly.

"You get them too," he stated calmly referring to the nightmares he had been having. "I heard you moaning in your sleep in the hospital wing. So unless you were having some sort of hot sex dream Potter then I think I was right in assuming that you too know what it's like to have a sleepless night."

Potter looked uncomfortable again and his face was twisted up as if he were thinking for several long minutes. "I've had them since I was eleven," Potter grabbed the bottle from his hand. "They weren't always dreams, more like visions. But since… since you-know-who died it's just been nightmares."

"Severus told me about those," Draco said. "He also told me how horrible you are at Occlumency" he sneered.

"Why would he have told you that?"

"Because _I'm_ not horrible at it. He taught me himself," He grabbed the bottle from Potter and put it to his mouth to take another drink. "He told me the truth the night before he died," Draco whispered, feeling a tug in his chest at the thought of Severus. Of everyone in his life he had been the one person who had trusted him to do the right thing.

"You can't do wandless magic can you Malfoy?" The Gryffindor asked abruptly after a significant pause in the conversation.

"Why Potter, are you scared I'll get into your head?" He smirked. "I never said I was any good at Legilimency…" He paused for the effect, "But if you were curious, he taught me that too."

"He was a good man," Potter finally said, seeming to have decided that Draco was not skilled in wandless magic after all and that the several layers of his mind and his innermost thoughts were safe inside his head.

Draco nodded his head in agreement, swallowing back the words that were threatening to fall from his lips. His thoughts were becoming cloudy from the excessive amount of alcohol he had drank in such a short period of time. He could sense from experience that he was drawing near the point in his inebriation where what he thought and what he said would begin to melt together.

"Why did you agree to come out here?" Draco asked.

"I don't know," Potter shifted uncomfortably beside him, he lifted his head and for a moment their eyes met. "I guess I was curious."

"Do you regret it?" Draco could hear himself speaking, his discretion disintegrating with each passing moment.

"No," Potter said without skipping a beat. "Do you?"

Draco shook his head, downing the rest of the bottle and tossing it out into the water. It shattered the smooth surface of the lake sending ripples in every direction. He laid back in the cool grass, folding an arm behind his head so that his head was resting comfortably in the crook of his elbow.

"Why did you ask me out here Malfoy?"

"I just needed someone who understood," he said stifling a yawn as his eyes moved to observe the moon.

"And you think I do?"

"Better than anyone else could," he said pleased with himself at how uninterested he sounded as he spoke.

"How do you figure?" Potter asked.

"We were chosen Harry," Draco said failing to notice that he had for the first time in his entire life addressed the Gryffindor by his first name. He forced himself to sit up so he could look at him. There was an intensity in the connection of their eyes that shook the earth beneath them and warmed Draco in a way alcohol never could. "And now it's done. And he's gone. And we're both left to pick up the pieces that are left of our broken, miserable lives."

"What did you lose?" Harry's voice came, sounding angry and confused. "You have your family, you have your friends."

"I didn't lose anything," Draco said despondently. "Because the things that were taken from me were things I never got the chance to have."

"Like what?" Harry demanded.

"A choice," he whispered before getting to his feet.

Harry didn't respond right away as he too stood up, "You always had a choice Malfoy."

This comment caused something inside Draco to snap, he could feel his lips curling into an angry sneer. "Don't act like you know a damn thing about me Potter," He was hissing as he moved closer to him.

"There's always a choice," Potter said looking equally heated. They were now so close that Draco could almost feel the others breath on his skin with each word he spoke. "It was the choice between what is right and what is easy. And you chose wrong."

There was a large part of Draco that wanted nothing more than to argue with him, to explain to him that if he had chosen any other way he would have lost everything. There was another part of him that wanted to admit to Potter that he was right, that he was a gutless coward. And then there was this other part that wanted nothing more than to close the remaining distance between them and...

He forced the last from his mind before it could progress into something dangerous. He tore his eyes from Harry and took a few steps back. "We both know I have too much pride to apologize to you Potter," Draco said as he turned away to walk up the hill. "But I am sorry. For everything."


	5. Chapter 5

**Forgiven**

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I am merely borrowing them from the lovely JK Rowling for a bit. No copyright infringement intended._

_Rated M for sexual content, language & possible violence._

_Author's note: Thanks for sticking with me through the buildup. A huge thanks to anyone who followed the story and especially the three who reviewed, you're amazing. I promise my next update by Monday!_

**Chapter 5:**

Malfoy sobbing in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom sixth year, alone and afraid… Malfoy in the Astronomy tower, unable to raise his wand and produce the Unforgivable curse that would save his own life and take Albus Dumbledore's… Malfoy in the manor reluctant to tell his aunt Bellatrix whether or not the swollen faced boy was Harry...

It was clear to him now that Mafoy had never wanted any of this. It was exactly as he had said, they had both been chosen. A prophecy, a bloodline. One path light, one path dark. One destined for success, the other doomed to fail. It was something Malfoy had always known and Harry had always been too blind to see. The realization hit him as he stared at the figure disappearing into the darkness. His stomach clenched painfully and he felt the urge to run after him but he was rooted to the spot, his legs frozen under the weight of his revelation.

His head was spinning from the alcohol and he forced himself to sit back down. He held his head in his hands as the world whirled around him. He didn't know how long he sat like that but by the time he got up to go back to the castle the sky was growing lighter in some parts indicating that the sun would rise in a few short hours. He slipped his invisibility cloak over himself and trudged up to Gryffindor tower. He didn't bother getting up to his dormitory, instead he heaved himself onto one of the couches, sprawling out.

* * *

><p>"Er- Harry?" He heard someone saying as he squinted against the light coming in through the window. He must have passed out and gotten cold because he had pulled his invisibility cloak around him. He wondered how many people had walked by, assuming that it must have been quite alarming to see him lying there with only his head and feet showing. He tossed the cloak off himself and began to neatly fold it as he finally realized whoever had woken him up was still standing there expectantly.<p>

"Oh hi Neville," he said offering a half smile. He yawned and reached up to straighten his wire rim glasses which had been pushed partially up the side of his face he had been laying on. "What time is it?"

"Almost time for breakfast to start," Neville responded offering out his hand to help pull him up. Harry accepted and got to his feet, tucking his cloak into the pocket of his slacks. "I had to finish up my Herbology homework so I got up early. Er- Are you alright Harry?"

"Oh yeah, was just having trouble sleeping last night so I came out here," he mumbled back. "I'll see you down at breakfast?" He said as he turned and walked to the stairs leading up to the dormitory.

"There you are," Ron said, pulling a shirt over his head his voice muffled by the fabric. "Where were you mate?"

"I fell asleep in the common room," Harry said as he began to dig through his things trying to find some clean clothes. "I'm going to take a shower, I'll see you in class?"

"But what about breakfast?" Ron was saying as he left the room, his expression incredulous as if he had somehow been insulted by the very idea of Harry skipping a meal as important as breakfast.

"I'll be fine," Harry laughed and hurried off to the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor. When he arrived he could see someone emerging from the bathroom, their body hidden by the statue of Boris the Bewildered. As he heard the door latch shut a figure appeared and Harry's stomach dropped as the platinum blonde hair came into view.

"You look awful Potter," Malfoy smirked as he repeated the line that Harry had used on him the night before. But it was as if it had never happened, Malfoy exuded confidence as he sauntered toward him, back to his old self. Harry observed his hair which was wet and uncombed, falling into his eyes as he moved. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a grey button up shirt, his green and silver tie untied and hanging around his neck.

"Sod off," Harry said with a chuckle. "I didn't get a proper night of sleep, no thanks to you."

"Now Potter don't let anyone hear you say that or they'll get the wrong idea," The blonde said with a quick wink. Harry felt a flush creeping from his neck and moving into his cheeks at the suggestive remark.

"Has the password changed from _Tea_ _Leaves_?" He asked as Malfoy passed by him.

"Mhm, its _Pine Needles_."

Harry snorted at the irony and mumbled the password. The door swung open and he walked inside, greeted by a pleasant scent of whatever cologne or aftershave Malfoy wore which indeed smelled strongly of pine needles. Longing for a soak in the tub as he watched the soap residue disappear magically as the water drained from the bath Malfoy had just emerged from. He walked to the shower instead and turned the knob as the faucet began to spurt out water. He shrugged out of his clothes and moved under the spigot, hot water warming him as it trickled down his body.

This was the only time Harry was ever able to spend time alone. He ate, slept and existed mainly around other people at Hogwarts. It often happened that he would come here to… well, release some stress. His mind wandered and he began to think about Ginny. Her long hair, soft skin, her full and supple breasts... He took himself into his hand and gently began to stroke. He increased the pace, grunting softly which each jerk of his hand. He focused on the image of his ex-girlfriend in his head and as his climax began to build his ability to concentrate began to diminish. Suddenly Ginny was nothing, the smell of pine needles still filled his nose and his thoughts were shifting, the figure in his head's features sharpened considerably. The freckled skin was replaced by an alabaster complexion. A hardened chest, abs that were noticeably defined but not too much so. Hair so blonde it was almost white, grey eyes with a gaze so intense it made Harry's cock twitch against his slack grip. And that mouth, he could write a book about all the things he wanted with that perfect fucking mouth. He groaned out as waves of pleasure began to hit him. He quickened his pace and with the image of Draco Malfoy in his head he felt his balls tighten and he released himself violently into his hands with a loud cry.

Any trace of it quickly washed away and he suddenly felt very strange. It wasn't necessarily the first time it had happened. His sixth year he had spent a decent amount of his time jerking off and he had also spent a lot of time thinking about Malfoy. Occasionally the two had mixed but he had always attributed it to the fact that he simply had far too much going on in his head. He had never really identified himself with a specific sexual orientation. It wasn't something he had even thought to consider. He enjoyed spending time with Ginny, kissing Ginny. But on rare occasions, such as this one the thought of a woman alone was not enough for him. And he knew that most straight men didn't typically get those sort of feelings.

He shut off the shower and dried himself off, quickly tugging on his clean clothes and leaving the bathroom. He glanced at a clock on the wall and cursed under his breath as he realized he was going to be late. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and rushed to get his books from Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

><p>It had invaded him like the plague. It started as a seed of an idea, planted by the day in the showers and it was profusely watered by the longing looks Draco Malfoy and himself had exchanged throughout their classes over the next week.<p>

Harry sat in the library his books open, several pieces of parchment spread out across his desk. It was late and there were few people in the library. Ron and Hermione had gone an hour ago, leaving him alone with a boy he recognized as a fifth year Ravenclaw and a small Hufflepuff girl he didn't know. The enchanted candles had melted into stubs and the lighting was very dim. He pulled his glasses from his face, rubbing his eyes and exhaling loudly. He had been there for hours attempting to finish his homework but instead thinking of a certain Slytherin.

"Time to go back to your common rooms," Madam Pince called from her desk. He began to gather up his things, capping his bottle of ink lastly and dropping it into his bag. He slung his bag over his shoulder and left the room.

He was starving and without too much regard for curfew he headed downstairs instead of going up to Gryffindor Tower. He knew the house elves would be more than willing to make him a meal and it beat lying in bed for hours agonizing over the fact that he was rapidly becoming quite obsessed with Malfoy again.

He decided to check on the whereabouts of Filch and pulled the Marauder's map from his pocket. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," He whispered, tapping his wand to the parchment. Writing he now knew to be that of his father and his friends scribbled over the paper before a map of the school finally appeared. His eyes moved from where it indicated that he was and he searched for anyone else out of bed. Filch and Mrs. Norris were lurking around the sixth floor. There were a few names he didn't recognize roaming around the floor he was on. He tried to determine if he would run into anyone on his way to the basement when his eyes landed upon the dot labeled Draco Malfoy. He couldn't help but grin as he noticed the footsteps heading out of the dungeons.

"Mischief managed," he said and stuffed the map into his pocket, hurrying to the sets of moving staircases. It had been a little over a week since their last time actually speaking and he intended to change that. He made it to the ground floor and his timing was perfect, just as he took the last step from the staircase Malfoy was emerging from the portrait that lead to a shortcut to the dungeons. He spotted Harry and his eyebrows raised accompanied by a look of surprise.

"What are you doing out of bed Potter?" Malfoy asked with a hint of playfulness in his voice. "I ought to dock Gryffindor ten points." Harry always seemed to forget that Draco was a Prefect despite the fact that the badge was staring him right in the face.

"You hungry?" Harry asked, ignoring what he said completely. Malfoy shrugged his shoulders but looked mildly interested in what he was going to purpose. "I'm on my way to the kitchen for some food, do you want to come?" Harry said.

"I do…" Draco said getting a wicked grin on his face, Harry knowing that something was going on behind those grey eyes. "On one condition."

"Oh come on Malfoy I'm not in the mood for games," he rolled his eyes. "I'm hungry, I haven't slept and I've been studying for hours."

"You're not even going to ask what my one condition is?" Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the wall.

"Alright you win I'll play," Harry said, shaking his hair from his eyes. "What is it?"

A satisfied smile graced Malfoy's features and he pushed himself off from the wall, moving closer to where Harry stood on the landing of the staircase which had since moved. "Don't look so mad Potter I was just going to suggest that after we eat you accompany me on my mission."

"Which is?" He asked, tapping his foot expectantly.

"Go ride with me."

Harry grinned and held out his hand, "Deal." Malfoy took his hand and they shook on it. "Now come on," He said and turned to head in the direction of the basements. He could hear Malfoy drifting behind him. They reached the portrait of the fruit bowl that lead to the kitchen and Malfoy looked at him, raising his eyebrow as Harry gently tickled a green pear. It began to squirm around and giggle and Harry wanted to do the same as he watched Malfoy's expression. "Haven't you ever been down here?"

Malfoy shook his head and followed after him, looking somewhere between repulsed and impressed. Upon entering several of the house elves bowed to him. A few of them looked utterly terrified of Malfoy and Harry wondered if they had perhaps at one time served the Malfoy family.

"Hello," Harry said politely. "I was wondering if a few of you could make some food for my friend and me?" The elf nearest him bowed deeply and quickly busied himself in preparing a meal.

"Friends now are we Potter?" Harry turned back to see Malfoy smirking.

"If that's alright with you," He said and walked over to one of the chairs next to the fireplace.

Malfoy didn't respond as he followed suit and took a seat in the chair beside him. He looked somewhat disgusted as a house elf thrust a mug into his hands. It also gave one to Harry which he took and began to sip from it, the steam rising from it and fogging up his glasses. He glanced at Draco admiring the way his hands gripped the mug, the bones of his knuckles protruding with his grasp. He lifted the cup to his full pink lips and the vein in his neck bulged as he swallowed.

"It is," Malfoy said clearing his throat. "Alright with me, that is."

"I've been thinking about what you said," Harry looked to the flames dancing in the fire as he spoke.

"Oh yeah? Well I've said a lot of things…" Malfoy muttered into his cup.

"Shush," Harry said. "I meant about you not having a choice."

Malfoy shifted uncomfortably in his chair, leaning over to set his mug down beside his foot on the ground. "I shouldn't have said that," He whispered, the atmosphere around them suddenly turning very somber. "I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I agreed with what the Malfoy's stood for. And I guess in some aspects I do… pure blood, wealth, power. But I was just a child, I didn't understand that that wasn't all there was to it. And as I got older and he- the Dark Lord returned I realized what it took, what being a Malfoy really meant." His eyes glazed over for a moment as if he weren't connected to the words he was saying. "And I wasn't cut out for it."

Harry took in each word, amazed at the understanding Malfoy had of himself and his past. So many people didn't understand the action and reaction aspect of their lives. But he seemed to grasp the concept from a strictly logical point of view and embrace the fact that he had caused this. He felt empathy for the man beside him, wanting nothing more than to take him into his arms and soak up the anguish he was going to live in for the rest of his life over mistakes he had made as kid. "I forgive you," He uttered finally.

Malfoy's jaw was clenched, his eyebrows drawn together as if he were lost deep in his thoughts. He tilted his head, his eyes locking on Harry's. "You don't have to Potter… I wouldn't."

Just then a house elf appeared with their food though Harry was suddenly not very hungry. He began to eat, trying to be quick about it. He could feel the sadness from the other and he knew if he could just get them outside and on their brooms things would be much happier. He finished and thanked the house elves. They exited through the portrait and walked down the corridor that lead to the door to the grounds in complete silence.

The fresh air felt good, he hadn't been outside at all that day. Although it was cold it was bearable with his robes on. They made their way to the locker room and Draco unlocked the padlock of the broom cupboard with his wand, grabbing his old Nimbus and handing Harry an old Cleansweap.

"Race you to the Whomping Willow?" Malfoy said running by him and out to the pitch. He was mounting his broom and kicking off before Harry was even outside.

"That's not fair Malfoy" He called after him, sliding onto his own broom and lifting into the air. Malfoy was several feet ahead of him so Harry crouched low to make himself more aerodynamic, soaring after him.

Malfoy reached the tree first and slowed down, allowing Harry to come up alongside him. They stayed at a steady pace, moving across the sky and over the grounds in circles. The stars were bright and Harry appreciated the moon shining over the lake as they rode over it. He was glad to see that Malfoy looked relatively happy but was confused as to why he kept falling behind every so often.

They rode for so long that Harry's fingers began to hurt. He hadn't brought any gloves and his hands were beginning to chap from the cold, he motioned to the pitch and Malfoy nodded his head. They landed, both somewhat out of breath as they dismounted.

"That was exactly what I needed," Malfoy was saying, sighing happily. Harry noticed his cheeks were pink from the wind whipping against his face and he couldn't help but smile as he nodded his head in agreement.

They entered the locker room and Harry placed his broom back in the cupboard, sitting down on one of the benches to catch his breath, enjoying the warmth. "I haven't flown on anything but my Firebolt in ages," He said.

"You're a good flier, doesn't matter what broomstick you use." Malfoy said as he was locking everything back up.

"You really think so?" Harry asked, flabbergasted. He didn't even think the Slytherin complimented his own friends let alone someone he had despised up until a month ago.

"I'm not going to reinforce every nice thing I say to you Potter," Malfoy said sounding much more like himself. "You're clumsy on your feet but when you get on a broom…" He trailed off, leaning against the wall, locking his eyes on Harry.

"You're a good flier too" Harry said. Which was true, Malfoy was a natural. He couldn't deny that even though his father had pulled some strings to get Malfoy on the team in their second year, he had quickly found out there was some talent there.

"Not as good as you," Malfoy said. He stated it as if it were a fact and not his opinion. He had never noticed it before but Malfoy was extremely logical. He was coming to learn that had never noticed many things about him…

"Come on," Malfoy said interrupting his thoughts. "I want to show you something."


	6. Chapter 6

**Forgiven**

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I am merely borrowing them from the lovely JK Rowling for a bit. No copyright infringement intended._

_Rated M for sexual content, language & possible violence._

_Author's note: Sorry it's a bit short, I've been a busy the last few days. I may come back and fix this chapter, I'm not 100% sure I like it. I'll post a new chapter within the next two days. Feedback is appreciated!_

**Chapter 6:**

Draco didn't know what he was going to show Harry or even where he was going to take him. But the thoughts in his head were getting to be too much for him and being alone in that intimate space was making his thought process fuzzy.

"You know what's strange?" He said trying to make conversation as he led Harry out from the pitch and toward the black lake.

"Hm?" Harry replied, lifting his head to look at him as they walked side by side.

"I was just thinking that it's odd that of everyone I've met here at school, I'd say you know me the best," He glanced at Harry.

"Why do you say that? Aside from this year all of our encounters have either been you calling my friends and me names or us throwing hexes at each other" Harry replied with a slight laugh. "And if what you've got to show me is the lake don't bother because you've now taken me here three times."

Draco shot him a look for the second comment before continuing, "Let's not forget sixth year when you were bloody obsessed with me," He smirked as he watched Harry's cheeks began to turn pink.

"I was not obsessed!" Harry snapped.

"I took Polyjuice Potion a few times to sneak up to the Room of Requirement and I heard Weasley and the Mud uh- Granger complaining about it," He sneered. "Not to mention you were always staring at me."

"You're making that up," Harry said though he still looked somewhat embarrassed. Draco noted that he had ignored his mistake of almost calling Granger a Mudblood and was grateful.

"They said something about your latest fixation being something about me not showing up on a map anymore?" He sniggered.

"I thought you were up to something and just in case you don't remember I was right," Harry said. He could tell he was beginning to get under his skin and it caused him to feel a twisted sense of pleasure.

"Sure, sure." Draco smiled despite the dark subject that had just been brought up. "But no matter what the reason you were still obsessed with me."

"Where are we going Malfoy?" Harry said abruptly changing the subject.

"It's just up here," He said pointing into the distance, offering him a reassuring smile.

They walked in silence for several minutes as Draco tried to decide where to go. The old oaf's hut was coming up and before long the only thing left in their path was the Forbidden Forest. He began to panic and stopped, turning to look into the Gryffindor's green eyes. Harry stared at him expectantly, his curiosity about what he was about to be shown obvious on his face.

"Malfoy…?"

Draco stared at Harry in the way he had his entire life. It was a yearning that burned inside him like a fire. The look of disgust that had always accompanied it was something no one could understand, it wasn't hatred toward Harry, not at all. It was hatred toward himself. It was the war that had been going on inside his head since the moment he had laid eyes on him. It was the fact that for so long he had wanted Harry and for so long he had been exactly what he couldn't have.

He realized he resented the boy with jet black hair and the lightning bolt scar who stood before him. Harry had what Draco always wanted, the strength to make the right choice no matter how hard it was. Draco had spent his entire life doing something he didn't even know if he believed in because Harry had been right the first time; he, Draco Malfoy, was a coward. He despised Harry for his courage but he wanted that boy and it had been growing in him for eight unbearable years.

"Potter…" He choked out and under the pressure of the expectant eyes on his, he made a choice and did the only thing he could think to do at that moment. He reached his arm around Harry, placed his hand on the back of his neck, leaned forward and forced their lips together firmly.

His senses exploded. Every nerve in his body came alive, his stomach bottomed out and fireworks burst behind his closed eyelids. Harry tasted sweet, exactly as he had always imagined. And he didn't mind that Harry's glasses were pressing into his cheek or that he was slightly taller than him so he had to lean down a bit to reach him or that he wasn't kissing back_… He wasn't kissing back. He… isn't… kissing… back._

Draco forced himself to pull away, gasping for air as it had all been stolen from his lungs the moment their mouths had met. Harry's eyes were wide as he staggered back, nearly falling over his own feet.

"What the fuck Malfoy," Harry finally said, slightly out of breath as he wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand. Draco finally dared to meet his eyes despite the fact that he was absolutely terrified of what he was going to find.

"I- I'm…" But he couldn't get out the words, Harry's lips were swollen and his hair was much more disheveled than usual, the very sight causing Draco's pants to tighten and making his knees go weak. He could feel his entire body shaking "I'm not sorry Potter," He spat. "I'm not."

Harry stared at him, his features twisting up. "Why did you do that?" He asked.

"Because I wanted to," Draco grumbled, his heart pounding against his chest as he tried to decide his next move. What had he done? He could feel panic building inside him, threatening to erupt into a full blown attack if he didn't get out of there. He reached out grabbing Harry's arm as he got entirely too close to him one last time. "I'm not sorry Potter," His eyes searched the other's hoping that by some miracle he would see the need he felt for him reflected there. But instead he saw nothing but fear looking back at him through those beautiful green eyes.

His face fell and he turned and took off running up to the castle leaving Harry standing there completely dumbfounded and alone. He made it back in and to the dungeons in record time. He barked the password and forced his way in, still running as he burst through the door to the dormitories. He could hear several of the boys groan as he turned on the lights and made his way to the four poster bed in the corner.

"Blaise!" He hissed. "Zabini wake the fuck up!"

"For fucks sake Zabini wake up and get him out of here," Theo said, throwing a pillow in their direction. It hit Blaise in the side of the face and he bolted upright, nearly slamming directly into Draco who was leaning over him.

"What's wrong?" Blaise asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Come on," He said and grabbed Blaise's arm. He got out of bed, following behind him as they moved to the common room. Draco looked around, double checking that no one else was in there to hear the conversation that was about to take place.

"Draco what's going on?" Blaise said. "Why do you look like you've just been running? Oh merlin, why is your hair so messed up?"

"I kissed Potter," He said, the words coming out of his mouth short and fast, sounding foreign to him as he spoke them.

"Wh-What?" Blaise spluttered, a huge grin spreading across his face. "Can you repeat that?" He started to laugh.

Draco shot him a look and punched him on the arm, scowling. "Shut the hell up. It's not funny Zabini," He threw himself into a chair, sighing dramatically. The entire thing was so much worse now that he had said it out loud. He briefly wondered if he had chosen the worst possible person to tell.

"What happened?" Blaise had stopped laughing and moved toward him, resting his hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Draco relaxed, realizing that if there was anyone he could trust it was Blaise. After all he had been the only person from school he had come out to and no one knew about that yet. He had never admitted his feelings for Potter to him before but he assumed Blaise was intelligent enough to guess that the reason he was so fixated with him had gone deeper than it appeared.

"We went flying and I just couldn't help it Zabini. We got too close and I took him off by the lake and…" He whispered, hanging his head.

"Was it good?" Blaise asked with a grin, surprising Draco. He moved to sit across from him, leaning forward so they could continue to whisper. His expression was eager as he awaited his response.

"Of course it was," Draco smirked, "He's the sodding boy who lived."

"Alright well you're smirking again so at least we know he hasn't broken you, I was a bit worried when I saw your hair wasn't perfect," Blaise teased and leaned back into the chair. "What happened after? Did he say anything?"

Draco could feel his cheeks getting flushed as he tried not to think about the moment he was explaining to his friend. "He asked me what the fuck I was doing and then he asked me why. I don't know why the hell I did it Zabini," Draco sighed, slowly running his fingers through his hair, which he was now somewhat self-conscious about.

"Because you bloody love him," Zabini chuckled. "You've been butt hurt about Potter the entire time I've known you Draco. I'll admit I had no idea it was this serious but honestly…"

"I do not!" Draco snapped, shaking his head. He sat there for a moment, staring into the fire before finally getting to his feet. "I'm going to bed," He said, still scowling as he headed back to the dormitory.

"Don't get upset with me Malfoy, you're the one who woke me up in the middle of the night." Blaise called after him. Draco heard him coming up to follow behind him as he finished "At least now you know and you can get over it. It will all be alright mate, promise."

* * *

><p>Draco awoke the next day feeling as if he had been hit by the Knight Bus. Blaise had tried to get him to go to breakfast but he refused, as well as lunch and dinner. He was embarrassed to see Harry of course but he was mainly just worried that everyone else was going to find out about his sexuality that he had managed to keep under wraps for so long. He managed to sleep through all of his classes, only getting up to go to the bathroom.<p>

Only after the other boys returned to the room to go to bed did he finally get up. He was starving, he needed a bath and he had grown extremely restless from lying there all day. He grabbed a handful of Cauldron Cakes from the sweets table in the common room and shoved several of them into his mouth. He realized he needed real food as the sugariness of it made his stomach clench painfully.

He pushed the thought from his head and fastened his Prefect badge onto his robes as he left the dungeons, heading to the bathroom on the fifth floor. He walked in, taking in the peaceful atmosphere the glow of the moon gave the room. It was dark and the stars shone brightly in the sky. He lit a few candles and turned on the faucet, climbing into the tub when it was full enough. He sank into the warmth of the water and let out a soft sigh as he let his eyes fall closed.

The moment was short lived as he heard a muffled giggle. His eyes flew open and darted around searching for the source of the sound. Finally after a few moments Moaning Myrtle came flying out the faucet. "Hello Draco," She said, moving around the room slowly.

"Myrtle," He said with a nod before pressing a button to release more of the large bubbles so she wouldn't be able to see his body under the water.

"You haven't come to see me all year," She said sadly, her voice excruciatingly nasally.

"I haven't really had a reason," He answered, his eyes following her as she drifted about the room. "You do live in the girl's lavatory."

She glared at him, staying silent for a long time. "I saw what that Potter boy did to you," She finally said, her expression exceptionally gloomy. Without much thought Draco glanced down at his chest, reaching down to trace the scar that remained there from the incident she was referring to.

"I thought you were going to join me," She said dreamily. "We could have haunted the first floor bathroom together."

"As appealing as that sounds…" Draco snorted, the idea of him as a ghost haunting a bathroom with Moaning Myrtle was extremely unsettling but knowing he wouldn't be facing such a fate he was also able to find it quite comical.

"He was in here the other day," She said despondently, finally ceasing moving about and stopping to sit upon the edge of the bathtub furthest from him. "He didn't know I was here."

"Why were you watching him Myrtle?" Draco smirked. A small pout formed on her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. For a moment he was afraid she was about to start wailing as she sometimes did but luckily she stopped at the sulking.

"Just one of the many perks of being dead," She said glumly. Her face perked up as something crossed her mind. "He was doing unspeakable things" She hissed, putting a hand to her mouth as she burst into a fit of giggles.

"Such as?" Draco asked sounding bored. She had piqued his interest but from his past experiences with her he knew he couldn't let her find this out. The ghost loved to play games and he wasn't in the mood to humor her.

"Well… you know" She cackled, fluttering her eyelashes.

"If you're not going to tell me then leave me to my bath, I came here to relax and I don't need you telling everyone who comes in here what I look like naked," He snapped at her. She looked hurt and retreated to the wall, pushing her hand through it as if to threaten that she was about to go.

"Well if you don't want me here I'll leave," She retorted. "But he did say your name…" She said and looked to him quickly to watch his reaction.

He forced his expression to stay neutral but suddenly everything had clicked. The vision of Potter wanking himself off, his back pressed against the wall of the shower that stood in the corner of the very room he was in. Panting, moaning… his body shaking as he came… saying Draco's name?

"What do you mean he said my name?" He asked.

She lingered at her place by the wall, bringing her hand back to hang at her sides as she floated in the air. "You know," She grinned. "He did those unspeakable things and right before… the unspeakable thing ended he said 'Draco'. It was quite peculiar..."

"Quite peculiar indeed…" He couldn't help the grin that formed on his lips.

"Well I'll leave you to your bath but Draco do come see me soon?" She said with a little wave and finally disappeared through the wall, giggling loudly as she did.

He sat motionless for several minutes as he questioned what he had just been told. Myrtle had no reason to lie to him. In fact she had been extremely loyal to him in his sixth year. But if she had been telling the truth then why had Potter reacted so viciously to his kiss? Was he afraid? Draco dropped down into the water, his mind racing as he slowly began to formulate a plan.


	7. Chapter 7

**Forgiven**

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I am merely borrowing them from the lovely JK Rowling for a bit. No copyright infringement intended._

_Rated M for sexual content, language & possible violence._

_Author's note: I'll be updating again within the next few days, hope you are all doing fantastic (:_

_ColorlessLove - My favorite character to write as is Draco and I've role-played him for years so (in my opinion) I'm pretty good with him. I have always thought he was greatly misunderstood. A complete asshole… but misunderstood all the same. On the other hand it's extremely hard for me to write Harry, I couldn't tell you why to be honest. It's sort of odd that he is so hard for me to grasp considering I've read the books several times which obviously are from his POV. But thank you so much for your feedback and for reading a Drarry fic, I'm honored xD_

**Chapter 7:**

Harry opened up the Marauder's Map for the fifth time within an hour, his eyes searching desperately for the tiny dot labeled Draco Malfoy. He hadn't been in any of his classes for two days and now he was nowhere to be found on the map. Which meant that unless he had left the castle there was only one place he could be…

"Harry who are you looking for?" Hermione said, raising one of her eyebrows questioningly as she glanced up from the parchment she had been scribbling furiously on.

"What?" He shot up quickly, folding the map back up. He had been sitting there with her for over an hour and she hadn't looked up from her books a single time, he briefly wondered how she had even noticed. "No one." He lied, forcing himself to look her in the eyes.

"You're a horrible liar you know," She said rolling her eyes.

"I was just looking at it," He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Honestly Hermione," He added as she opened her mouth to argue.

"If you say so..." She shot him a disbelieving look but didn't push the issue and went back to writing.

"I'm going up to bed," He announced with a forced yawn as he stood up.

"Did you finish your Defense Homework?" Hermione asked sternly.

"Yes actually, if I leave it here will you look it over?" He asked, rummaging through his bag for a moment before pulling out some parchment.

She nodded, looking surprised as he handed it to her. He was sure she had been about to lecture him about the importance of doing homework. He also knew she was probably secretly disappointed that she wouldn't be having to give it to him after all. "Well goodnight then Harry," She said with a slight smile before turning her attention back to her work.

"Goodnight Hermione," He said tossing his bag over his shoulder and heading to the boy's dormitory.

He was relieved to find that no one was in there when he arrived. He darted to his trunk and pulled the Invisibility Cloak over himself. He headed back the way he had come and walked toward the portrait hole. Hermione was pouring over the assignment he had just given her, her face scrunched up in concentration. Her quill moved as she added things to his work here and there. He was grateful he had given it to her for she was paying little attention to anything around her. It was one thing to hide things from Ron but it was nearly impossible to get anything by Hermione. He waited there for several moments thinking about this until finally Parvati Patil came through and he was able to push by her.

"Sneaking out before curfew, that's a new one!" The Fat Lady called after him sounding somewhat suspicious. She had learned of his cloak over the years and had come to resent being woken up in the middle of the night to let him in and out.

He ignored her and hurried to the stairs, making his way up to the seventh floor corridor. He wasn't sure why he had reacted the way he had to Malfoy kissing him. He had been shocked and confused by the entire ordeal. He hadn't even known Malfoy was gay, let alone attracted to him. But now that he had had a few days to reflect on it he realized that their relationship had always held a certain level of intensity that couldn't be explained away by hate alone. And more importantly he realized that maybe he had wanted that moment just as badly as it seemed Malfoy did. He didn't know if he could necessarily admit that to him but he knew that he had to find the Slytherin and at least let him know that his secret was safe.

He reached the seventh floor, forcing himself to clear his mind as he moved closer to his destination. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes, pacing three times in front of where he knew the entrance to the Room of Requirement would appear, focusing very clearly. _Show me where Draco Malfoy is hiding…_

Harry opened his eyes and was disappointed to see that nothing had happened. He looked around the empty corridor to make sure he was still alone. He tried again this time adding_ Show me the place where Draco Malfoy is hiding from me… _He walked by three additional times, his eyes closed. He stood there a moment before finally allowing his eyelids to flutter open, his heart leaping into his throat as he was relieved to see that a door had appeared. He lunged forward, thrusting it open and walking inside.

He observed what the room had become. There was a desk and a chair in one corner, a large couch sat in the middle of everything. The room was decorated in neutral colors and it gave off a very relaxing vibe. There was a fire blazing in a fireplace, the only sound coming from the room was the crackling of the flames burning the wood. His eyes searched for wherever it was Draco was hiding, still taking in the features of the room.

He heard a door open and movement behind him and turned just in time to see Draco as he emerged from the door he had just come through. Harry nodded hello to him, wondering how he hadn't run into him in the hallway and also trying to remember exactly why he had been so frantically trying to find him in the first place.

"How did you get in here?" Draco asked, his eyebrow cocked as he strode across the room and set something down, leaning against the desk not far from where Harry stood. "Better yet, how did you know I was here?" He smirked.

"Where have you been?" Harry said, entirely ignoring what he had said. He noticed that the dark circles under Draco's eyes were worse than usual, he looked as if he hadn't slept in days. His hair wasn't slicked back as it usually was and his white dress shirt was wrinkled and not tucked in, the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Harry couldn't help but notice he looked extremely handsome in a natural way that made him seem more… human.

"You're in my territory," Draco said sounding extremely uninterested, "Either you answer my questions or you leave Potter."

"The map," Harry snapped already annoyed with his poor attitude. "The one you heard Hermione and Ron talking about." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the blank piece of parchment. "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_," He whispered for the seemingly hundredth time that day and watched it come to life. He shoved it toward Draco.

"I knew that's what it was," Draco responded, looking somewhat amused as he glanced at it. "Now for the next question?"

"I just asked the room to show me where you were hiding," He said unevenly, silently cursing himself for sounding so uncertain.

"Alright and just one last question. Why are you here?" Draco asked, folding his arms across his chest as he spoke.

There was a look in his eyes that chilled Harry to the bone. It was something so incredibly raw that it almost hurt to stare directly at him but at the same time he couldn't look away. He realized he was standing there dumbly and quickly forced himself to speak. "I-I was worried about you."

"How sweet," Malfoy spat venomously. Harry was realizing very quickly that even with people whom he regarded as friends, he was still the type to hold grudges. At this exact moment Draco did not seem to be very happy with him.

"Look Mal- Draco…" He said as he glanced at him timidly. "I liked being friends." Naturally Harry was an extremely stubborn being and this admission had been tough but if there was anyone more stubborn than himself it was easily Draco. One of them had to swallow their pride…

Draco stared at him, his expression blank. Harry forced himself to continue. "And I haven't told anyone about you… And I'm not going to." He finished with a bit more confidence than he felt. It was funny to Harry that he was able to save the world no problem and yet when it came to simple situations like this he always found himself tense and rather tongue tied. He kept his eyes locked on Draco trying to read how he was going to react.

"And what exactly is there to tell?" He replied. Harry thought it seemed to be some sort of running game Draco played with himself to see how uncomfortable he could possibly make someone else.

"That you're gay," Harry said nervously running a hand through his already messy hair. "Or whatever you are… I just mean I won't tell anyone you kissed me."

"And I won't tell anyone you kissed me," Draco replied.

"I didn't kiss you Malfoy," He said calmly trying not to show any sign of the anger that he was slowly beginning to feel forming in the depths of his stomach. It seemed that Draco was quite skilled in the art of getting under his skin.

"You kissed me back," Draco said as the corner of one of his lips raised in a half smile.

"I reacted on impulse," Harry retorted dismissing his statement with a wave of his hand.

"You wanted it."

"You wish," He said without skipping a beat. His face broke into a grin and felt relief that the blonde's expression turned into a full smile mirroring his own. They stood there for a moment staring at one another and Harry was shocked to find that he didn't feel a need to fill the silence. It was comfortable despite the unresolved emotions and unanswered questions that still lingered between them.

"You want to get drunk?" Malfoy asked after a few minutes as he turned to open one of the drawers to the desk and pulled two glasses. He noticed that the thing he had set down when he had come in was actually a bottle. Harry felt somewhat relieved at the change of subject and nodded his head without much thought.

"No whiskey?" Harry said as he observed the bottle and from the look of the long neck and the cork he was able to determine that it was wine.

"It's Elf-made," Draco said as he uncorked the bottle with his wand and poured two glasses. "I just got it from the kitchens," He said as he took a sip from one of them and moved across the room to hand one to Harry. He took it and was surprised to find that he actually enjoyed the taste. Aside from Butterbeer, which hardly had any alcohol anyway, he wasn't a huge fan of drinking.

"Just don't tell Hermione I'm drinking this," Harry said with a laugh as he moved to sit on the couch and continued to drink from his glass.

"I'll be sure not to mention it next time I talk to her," Draco teased with his signature smirk. "She's got that thing about house elves, right? Thinks they should get paid and all that rubbish?"

"Yeah…" Harry trailed off for a moment. "But it's not rubbish. I have to agree with her, she was just a bit nutty about it. Made these badges and what not," He smiled fondly at the memory but mostly just at the thought of the face Ron would make behind her back every time she had brought up S.P.E.W.

"I don't know what we would do without them," Draco said as he moved to sit beside Harry on the couch. "I don't think mum's ever even been in the kitchen," He joked. Harry had never heard Draco speak of his home life seriously before and found himself interested to learn more. He had had a brief glimpse of it the year before but at the time the manor had been the Death Eater's headquarters and surely not much of a home.

"What was it like growing up there?" He asked as he drank more of the wine. Draco had drained his glass and summoned the bottle to them. He topped off Harry's glass and poured himself more before answering.

"The manor? Uh it was nice. Up until a few years ago anyway," Draco paused and glanced at Harry. "I don't know if it will ever be the same if I'm going to be honest with you. My nightmares are a lot worse there… I don't know what I'll do when I get sentenced…"

"What do you mean sentenced?" Harry asked, sitting upright. "Hasn't your family already had your trial?"

"My parents have. I had to finish school first. I'll get the trace and the house arrest," He said with a sigh. "I'm almost positive I will anyway. Mum says nothings certain but I know how things work."

"I could go," Harry could hear himself saying. "I could speak on your behalf, maybe talk them out of it. As much as I don't like it, I do get some special treatment when it comes to the Ministry…"

Draco shrugged and finished off another glass. "I don't want to talk about that," He said. "Where did you grow up anyway Potter? With muggles right?"

"My aunt and uncle's house," Harry responded. "It's in Little Whinging." He wasn't sure what else to say about the matter. His experience at the Dursley's had never been something he remembered fondly. Even now that he knew his aunt's anger of his mother had revolved around jealousy he still didn't much care to speak of them.

"And what was that like?" Draco said as he topped off Harry's glass for a second time.

"Well they hated magic," Harry started. "I lived with my cousin as well and he got everything he wanted. And as for me, well I lived in the cupboard under the stairs half the time." It felt strange to repeat this part of his life to someone from the Wizarding World. "Once I found out I was a wizard I only had to go there for part of the summer every year so it wasn't so bad."

"A cupboard? And you mean they didn't tell you that you were a wizard?" Draco asked, his eyes lighting up with interest. "So you went from being absolutely nobody and coming here to find out you're about the most famous person in our world?"

"I'd never really thought of it like that but I guess so," Harry shrugged and took a swig from his drink. He was beginning to feel extremely intoxicated and was surprised at how much alcohol Malfoy's body could sustain. The only evidence that the blonde had been drinking was the slight shade of pink his cheeks had turned. Their eyes caught and there was another long silence between them as he looked into the cool grey eyes he was slowly beginning to find comfort in.

"I'm still not sorry," Draco said after a while, his eyes still stuck on Harry's. "And you should know I always get what I want Potter."

"And you want me?" Harry said as he cleared his throat trying to wrap his head around the idea. Although it had been a few days since what he had dubbed 'The Incident' had happened, he still had a hard time understanding it.

"Yes," Draco replied simply. There was a familiar tension between them that resurfaced at his admission.

"Right," Harry nodded his head once. "And what happens if you don't get what you want? Are you going to buy a love potion?" He said. "I reckon you can't exactly call your father to fix this one for you…"

"I don't get everything because of my father," Draco snapped. "I work for some things." He broke the eye contact for a moment, looking away as he muttered softly, "I'd be willing to work for you."

Harry's stomach flipped as he stared at him in disbelief, his mouth hanging slightly agape. The man he was so used to seeing convey himself as someone arrogant and self-satisfied with far too much pride had just allowed himself to become extremely vulnerable in that moment… And it was beautiful.

His throat felt dry as he tried to swallow. Before he could consider what he was about to do, he allowed himself to get overtaken by the moment… and quite possibly the alcohol. He set down his glass beside his foot and in one swift motion he closed the distance between them moving to crash his mouth into Draco's. The blonde tensed for a moment before relaxing against him, one of his hands reaching up to cup Harry's cheek, his fingers resting gently along the line of his jaw. Harry tilted his head up just a bit forcing Draco to deepen the kiss which he accepted eagerly, his grip tightening. He felt the vibration of Draco moaning against his mouth and he forced himself to pull away as a bolt of pleasure shot through him.

They stayed silent for a moment as Draco rested his forehead against Harry's. "What the fuck Potter?" Draco said with a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. His breath was warm against Harry's mouth as he spoke making it hard for him to concentrate on anything but that blissful sensation. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I wanted to," Harry grinned as he repeated the exact phrase Draco had used the night that The Incident had occurred.

"And are you sorry?" Draco whispered against his lips.

Harry shook his head not trusting himself to speak. He could feel himself trembling as he reached out to touch Draco's face. His skin was incredibly soft with the exception of the rugged patches where he assumed that he had shaved. The scent of pine needles, which was incredibly strong from their close proximity, soothed his nerves. He sat there soaking up each moment of their embrace, trying not to think about what was going to happen or what he was going to have to deal with when they pulled apart.


	8. Chapter 8

**Forgiven**

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I am merely borrowing them from the lovely JK Rowling for a bit. No copyright infringement intended._

_Rated M for sexual content, language & possible violence._

_Author's note: So sorry for taking so long. I'm going to be extremely busy this week and I probably won't be able to update for a few days but I will try my best! Warm regards to you all as always._

**Chapter 8:**

"Didn't even have to break out that love potion," Draco smirked. "Merlin you're insulting, you really think I would ever stoop so low as to drug someone for that purpose?" He said and leaned back into the couch, his eyes never moving from Harry's.

"You're a Slytherin," Harry snorted. "Of course you would."

"Maybe if I looked like Goyle," he sniggered. "But I'm sorry, have you seen me?" He watched Harry's face break into a grin and he felt his stomach drop at the sight, unable to help the mirroring smile that graced his thin lips. He could feel himself beginning to grow tired and knew that he should take advantage of the fact that he actually wanted sleep, since it so rarely occurred. But this moment was something he had been waiting a long time for and he couldn't pull himself away.

Draco had disappeared in an attempt to lure Potter and it had worked. From what Draco had come to find in his time at Hogwarts he knew that whenever he formed any kind of plan, Harry was always bound to get involved. And it was now clear to Draco that their relationship hadn't changed in that aspect. Harry had come wandering along after only a few days of his absence. The only difference now was that he didn't stay hidden under his bloody invisibility cloak… well, that and the whole kissing thing.

"You didn't though did you?" Harry said thoughtfully as he lifted his head from the place it was resting on the couch, tilting it to meet Draco's eyes. "Slip me a love potion, I mean."

"Why?" Draco smirked and shook his head. "Is it really that hard for you to believe that maybe you're actually just attracted to me?"

"I didn't even know I was going to do that until it happened," Harry said.

"I did," Draco replied with a slight smirk.

"And how would you know?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrow. "Unless this is your admission to spiking the wine with a love potion, in which case I could possibly still forgive you," he grinned.

"I didn't give you a bloody love potion Potter," he snapped. "I'm not some school girl. Besides, I drank the wine too," he paused for a moment. "You know sometimes it amazes me that it was up to you to save the world," he teased as he yawned loudly. "But it gets easier with time…"

"What does?" Harry asked.

Draco couldn't bring himself to say it so he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss to the other man's lips. "This," he said softly as he moved to place another onto his neck, pleased when the other man tilted his head to give him easier access. "But if you ask me I think you've wanted this for a while…"

"And why do you think that?" Harry said, his breath falling from his lips in shallow, jagged gasps.

"I heard it somewhere," he smirked loving the way Harry's face twisted up in confusion. Draco hated being vulnerable and was fully appreciating having the upper hand again. He knew he had to be careful with this part because the entire plan was exceptionally delicate at this point and one wrong move could change the entire game.

"What do you mean you—?" Harry began but Draco placed a finger to his lips and shook his head.

"I'm going down to bed," Draco said as he stood up abruptly and stretched out his arms. His legs felt weak as all the alcohol he had consumed hit him at once. "I'll see you in Defense tomorrow morning?"

"You can't just say things like that and not explain it Mal- Draco," Harry said as he got to his feet as well. It was strange to hear his first name from Harry's mouth but in a way he liked it. Or perhaps he just liked what the use of his first name meant.

"I'll explain it Potter," Draco replied, heading toward the door. "Just not tonight."

"Git," he mumbled under his breath as he followed him out, a strange tension beginning to develop between them.

Draco lit the end of his wand, pleased he was now able to cast the simple spell nonverbally. The door sealed behind them and they both walked to the direction of the Marble Staircase Tower. Several of the occupants of the portraits that hung in the corridor cried out angrily at the sudden light but he ignored them, as he always did when wandering the castle at night. Harry, on the other hand, whispered his apologies to the complaining paintings as they passed, which elicited a small laugh from Draco. They finally came up to the entrance of the staircases and he knew Harry's common room was somewhere just ahead.

"Goodnight Malfoy," Harry said with an endearing but somewhat awkward nod of his head. Draco jerked his head once in return and watched as the man with jet black hair disappeared into the darkness as he walked further from the light that illuminated the end of Draco's wand.

"Potter," he called after him. Harry turned to look without saying anything, his glasses reflecting the light. "Meet me at the spot by the lake tomorrow night?" Draco asked. Harry nodded his head in return and went to turn away again. He bit his bottom lip before adding, "And Potter?"

"What?" Harry said, sounding somewhat annoyed, as he whipped back around. Draco strode forward quickly, grabbing hold of the back of Harry's head, intertwining his fingers into his hair, as his lips locked hungrily onto his. He pushed the Gryffindor back against the wall before forcing himself to pull away briskly.

"Goodnight," he smirked and walked down the stairs leaving Harry gasping for air, still pressed against the wall.

* * *

><p>Draco arrived to his first class early that day. He walked into the empty classroom and dropped his things onto the table at the place he usually sat. Just as he was about to take his seat he was surprised by a voice behind him.<p>

"Ah Mr. Malfoy, I see you're going to grace us with your presence today?" Draco turned to see the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Savage standing at the top of the stairs that connected to his office. Draco felt hot anger bubble in the pit of his stomach over being called out on his absenteeism but ignored it and simply nodded his head.

Lorin Savage was an unusual human being. He looked to be no older than the age of 40 and wore navy blue velvet dress robes which were trimmed with thin bands of black work embroidery. His dark hair was long enough to pull into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck and he had a noticeable scar on his left cheek which was rumored to have been from his stint as an Auror. The most popular rumor being that he had achieved it during the war dueling one of the Carrow twins.

"Well you've chosen a good day to return Draco, we're discussing a topic which has just been added to the curriculum this year," Professor Savage said as he walked to the front of the classroom to the table that served as his desk. "It's not in any of your books so you're all going to have to borrow copies of this one," he lifted a large leather-bound book from a pile on the table and held one up.

Draco tried to make out the small print on the front but couldn't and decided to humor his Professor, "What is it?" Professor Savage tossed the copy he was holding and Draco caught it in midair, turning it over in his hands to read the title. "Secrets of the Darkest Art?" He read aloud, flipping it open to try and figure out exactly what the man was talking about.

"Page 394," he instructed. "I figured now was the best time to introduce the topic. It took quite a bit of convincing old McGonagall. But I firmly believe that educating ourselves is our most powerful weapon in preventing history to repeat itself," he said.

Draco thumbed the pages and finally landed on the page. He opened the book and set it on the table, his stomach turning as he read the first sentence:

_The creation and destruction of Horcruxes_

Horcruxes? He forced himself to sit down, swallowing roughly. It had gotten out rather quickly after the war that Voldemort had used things called Horcruxes. And of course it was no secret that his family had declared their allegiance to Lord Voldemort. He wondered how the man before him could so openly talk about a subject that would surely forever be tied to the Dark Lord's name, which his family name was also interconnected. He dared to glance up at Professor Savage and was somewhat embarrassed to find that he had been watching his entire reaction.

"The rest of the book is absolute rubbish, terrible magic from a terrible man," he was saying. "But I'm confident after all your year has been through that none of you will use any of it for anything but the purpose of knowledge. Putting this into the wrong hands could be extremely dangerous, you know."

His mouth had become so dry that even if he did have anything to say he didn't think he would have been able to physically formulate the words. Professor Savage had busied himself, setting copies of the books on each one of the tables. The silence had become somewhat uncomfortable and Draco was relieved when the bell rang and students began to file into the classroom one group after another.

He watched as Harry, Weasley and Granger walked through the doors, moving to their seats near the front of the room just a few rows ahead of where he sat. Granger's eyes landed on the book almost instantly and she grabbed ahold of Harry's arm, pointing at it. The look of horror that flashed across her features when she had seen it caused something in him to feel the need to look away. He did however notice that instead of taking her usual seat next to Weasley, today Granger sat beside Harry.

"Good morning everyone!" Professor Savage said as he flicked his wand and the projector behind him turned on. "How is everyone today?" There was a soft murmur of responses and Draco was distracted for a moment by the presence of Blaise Zabini sliding into the seat beside him. "I was just telling Mr. Malfoy here that we have a new addition to the curriculum this year," he said as his eyes landed on Draco for a moment as well as several of his classmates. "Now if you could turn your books to page 394."

"Horcurxes?" Blaise hissed, pointing at the textbook. "He's barking mad bringing this up in a room half full of kids with Death Eaters for parents," he whispered. Draco shot him a dirty look and focused his attention back to the front of the room.

"Now could anyone tell me what a Horcrux is?" Professor Savage asked as he looked up expectantly.

"A Horcrux is a typically powerful object that a witch or wizard has hidden a fragment of his or her soul inside in order to achieve immortality," Granger answered, lowering her hand as she spoke.

"Very good Miss Granger, 10 points to Gryffindor," he replied. "Now as I'm sure all of you know, this is the way that you-know-who was able to stay alive after the destruction of his original body. I'm sure many of you are wondering why I would even want to touch this subject after everything that has happened. But what you must understand is that this is now a part of our history. I believe it is very important that we fully understand what has happened. Up until the Prophet started releasing information on the war, I myself didn't even know what a Horcrux was."

"Now, Herpo the Foul was the first wizard known to have created a Horcrux. I'm sure you talked about him when you covered Basilisk's, he was also the first wizard to hatch one- Ah yes, Miss Patil?" he said. Draco dared to glance at Harry who had turned around to listen to some Gryffindor's question from the back. Their eyes caught for a moment and Draco offered him a slight smile which Harry returned with a raise of his eyebrows. It was a simple gesture but it calmed Draco's nerves considerably.

"There has been a lot of speculation about which objects you-know-who had used, coincidentally the only living people who knows the truth behind what they were sit in this very room," Professor Savage continued, his eyes darting to the trio. "Technically one could use an old toothbrush as a Horcrux if they so desired. But it is believed that Riddle used things of great meaning to him."

"Now I am not here to teach you how to create a Horcrux, I think the thing you should all take away from this lesson is what it costs to make a Horcrux… and I'm not talking about galleons here people, I'm talking about your humanity. But more importantly you should all know how to destroy one."

"This is a type of dark magic that has only just begun to get studied and your generation is the perfect one to do so," he said. "Now I am going to assign an essay to all of you. I've been instructed not to allow these books to leave my sight so you're going to write them in class."

As soon as they were cut loose to begin writing Draco gathered up his things and left the classroom, very aware of everyone's eyes on him, including his professor. The topic had been too much for him, memories were surfacing that he couldn't force back any longer. He broke into a sprint down the corridor of the third floor. He kept running until he physically couldn't. He bent over, his palms pressed flat against the wall, sweat beginning to seep through his clothes.

"Are you alright?"

"Uh yeah, I'm fine," he straightened himself up finally daring to look up into the emerald eyes. Harry came to a halt in front of him, folding his arms loosely across his chest. He looked exceptionally at ease and Draco wondered why he hadn't been affected by the topic in the way that Draco had.

"No you're not," Harry smiled. "Professor Savage sent me after you, Zabini was going to go but Savage said I was the man for the job," he said with a laugh. Draco glanced up and realized he had run all the way to the Entrance Hall. He followed after Harry who had begun to walk off, his eyes taking in the statue that stood a few feet ahead of them. "I think this is my favorite part of the castle now," Harry said as they came to a stop in front of it.

"I avoid it," Draco murmured.

"They gave their lives for what they believed in," he whispered as he stared at the smiling faces of nearly every person he had lost during the war. "For the greater good." Draco found himself drawn to the figure of Severus Snape, pleased that whoever had erected this piece had nailed his facial expression. His eyes swept over the rest of them, feeling a wave of sadness. The two stood in silence for several moments, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

"If I would have made the right choice I would be up there," Draco dared to say after a while.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, glancing to him curiously.

"If I hadn't done what was easy, if I had broken free of my parent's and become my own person… If I wouldn't have been such a damn coward I would be up there… instead of here," he said, his voice threatening to shake.

He was surprised as he felt Harry's hand slip into his, "I'm sort of glad you didn't. Because if you were up there, we wouldn't be standing here now." Draco's chest tightened as he looked into his eyes. In that moment he realized the reason he liked Harry so much was because he never dismissed what Draco had done, but he was able to accept it.

He could hear the faint sound of the bell clanging above them, signaling the end of the period. "I'll see you tonight Potter," he said and squeezed Harry's hand lightly before dropping it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Forgiven**

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I am merely borrowing them from the lovely JK Rowling for a bit. No copyright infringement intended._

_Rated M for sexual content, language & possible violence._

_Author's note: I've been so busy I'm sorry guys! This is kinda smutty filler shit but it's part of the plan don't worry haha. Thanks to anyone reading and sticking with this fic, you're fantastic._

**Chapter 9:**

"But why do you think he had you go after Malfoy? It just seems odd doesn't it?" Ron said between mouthfuls of food. Hermione looked utterly disgusted as she watched her boyfriend, abandoning her own fork and sitting back. "And covering Horcruxes? If you ask me that hex he took from the Carrow's left more than that bloody scar. He's gone mental."

"I think he's brilliant," Hermione said. "We've covered more with him than we have all our Defense against the Dark Arts Professor's combined if you haven't noticed Ronald."

"Well of course _you_ do," Ron said as he shot Harry a look. Harry bit back a laugh as he watched Hermione's face twist up. "And before you go off I just meant you like learning and uh… stuff," Ron attempted to back track though they all knew he had just been on the verge of an accusation. It was heard amongst the girls throughout every common room in Hogwarts at this point that the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher was good looking. It had surprised Harry with Lockhart and Krum but he now knew that even Hermione was not impervious to such things. He watched as Ron shoveled more food into his mouth in an attempt to prevent himself from digging into a deeper hole.

"What about you Harry, what do you think of him?" Hermione said as she turned to look at him eagerly.

"Er- well he's alright," he said as he gave Ron an apologetic look. Professor Savage was good at teaching, even if his lessons were a bit unorthodox. Hermione looked extremely pleased, practically beaming at him.

"But what about Malfoy?" Ron said. "Why would he send Harry off to comfort a Death Eater?" He hissed the last part, looking behind him after he said it.

Harry could feel himself losing interest in the conversation as his eyes wandered over to the Slytherin table. Draco sat beside Blaise Zabini and one of the Chaser's for the house's Quidditch team, Astoria Greengrass. His blonde hair had begun to get a bit longer and it hung in his eyes as he moved. He wore his signature smirk aside from the rare times he would laugh, which Harry noticed made his entire face light up. He continued watching him, completely disregarding the fact that Hermione and Ron were still arguing about Professor Savage.

Just as he was about to tear his gaze away, Draco's cool grey eyes landed on his. He felt his stomach flip and he forced himself to keep his expression particularly neutral. The look in Draco's eyes was so intense that Harry could feel himself begin to blush. He swallowed roughly and resisted the urge to tug his robes up over himself. Just as he was sure he wouldn't be able to take much more, Blaise Zabini's finger pointed toward him and he darted his eyes away.

"Honestly Ron, do you listen to yourself sometimes?" Hermione was saying as she rolled her eyes. Harry decided he wasn't much interested in seeing where the argument had gone and stood up from the table.

"I'm going to Hagrid's," he announced over their bickering. They both came to an abrupt stop and Harry hurried off before they could question him. He felt a twinge of guilt as he realized he actually hadn't gone to see Hagrid since the first week of school. He briefly considered going but he wasn't sure when Malfoy had wanted to meet. So instead he decided to go down and wait by the lake because for some reason the Slytherin had invaded his mind and he could think of nothing but his sleek blond hair, his pale skin and his perfect pointed face.

Now that the seasons had begun to change it got darker much earlier. He was surprised to find Draco already outside leaning against a tree when he arrived. His figure was illuminated by the moonlight and his skin contrasted strikingly with the darkness surrounding them. Leaves littered the grounds, making a loud crunch as Harry stepped on them, revealing his presence almost instantly.

Draco who had been staring out into the body of water stretching out before him, turned his head and a small smile played at the corners of his lips at the sight of Harry. "Always the discrete one," he teased good-naturedly, pushing off from the tree to greet him.

Harry shot him a look and was surprised when the blonde grabbed his wrist and pulled him close. Before he could stop himself their mouths were together. All the stress of his day disappeared almost instantly as he melted into Draco. Without warning Harry moaned against Malfoy's mouth. The sound caused him to abruptly pull them apart. He looked at Draco for a moment before he averted his gaze and sat down on the ground.

After an exaggerated roll of his eyes, Draco dropped down beside him. He was silent for a moment and grabbed Harry's hand, their fingers intertwining. Draco gave his hand a soft squeeze, just as he had done earlier by the statue.

"I'm probably going to fail all my NEWTS. Not to mention cause Slytherin to lose the House Cup single handedly. I haven't been to a full set of classes since school started," Draco said casually. "Not that it really matters considering I'm not going to be able to get a job once we leave here anyway…" Harry dared to look at the platinum blonde man beside him and wasn't surprised to see the somber look that he so often wore these days. "Hopefully you don't fail today's essay because you had to come after me," Draco added after a moment looking mildly uncomfortable.

"First of all, I think Professor Savage knows I've got a fairly good grasp on Horcruxes," Harry said with a laugh. "Which is why he sent me after you, I think. Or he seriously doubts Zabini's ability to empathize, which also wouldn't surprise me... Aside from you and Nott he is probably the third to last person I would want to comfort me." Harry made it a point to look directly into Draco's eyes, "And second of all, don't apologize to me, it doesn't sound right coming from you."

"I've been thinking about that," Draco said as he leaned back, completely disregarding his last comment. "I really do wonder why he sent me after you. It can't be any secret that we don't get on… or well, we didn't used to get along… or I don't know Potter, do we get along?"

"Obviously," Harry said glancing down at their entwined fingers with a smile.

"I mean can people know we get along now?" Draco said, his lips pulling into a mirroring smirk.

"Er…" Harry paused for a moment, considering it. "I don't think anyone should know about this," he said as he lifted both their hands up.

"No, I don't think I could do that to my parents just yet," Draco replied as he nodded in agreement. Just yet? Did that mean that in the future he may want to tell them? Harry considered ever having any sort of interaction with Lucius Malfoy that didn't leave his skin crawling and dismissed the thought quickly. Lucius loved his family, which was clear to Harry and anyone else who knew the Malfoy's. He loved his wife and only son and he sacrificed a lot to keep them all together. But no matter what happened Harry didn't think there would ever come a time when he had any shred of respect for Draco's father.

"All I'm saying is should we- or well I guess should I- you know, sort of pick fights with you still?" Draco asked. "Put on an act?"

"Well don't go out of your way to make my life miserable like you usually do," Harry replied with a grin. "But I s'pose a bit of that should be good." He thought for a moment before adding, "I actually meant to ask you. What was Blaise Zabini pointing at me during dinner for?"

"Probably because you were practically eye fucking me Potter," Draco scoffed.

"I was not!" He said quickly. The level of intensity that usually accompanied their encounters rose considerably, however. "If anything you were '_eye fucking'_ me," he felt the words sounded strange coming from his own mouth.

"Of course I was," Draco said with a laugh. "I like to make you uncomfortable, Potter. I thought that was clear by now." There was a silence and Harry thought he could actually feel how self-satisfied Draco was with himself at the moment. It reminded him of the Draco he knew from childhood and triggered his thoughts to wander back to a simpler time.

"It's just weird because I never thought I was gay," Harry blurted out suddenly. He had been thinking about it since the day in the bathroom and had finally gathered up the courage to admit it. "I was happy with Ginny when I was with her. And well it's not like I'm not attracted to her..."

"You can like both Harry," Draco said looking utterly bewildered. Something crossed his features and Harry recognized it as something he too often saw with Ron and Hermione before they had gotten together, jealousy. But his face reverted back to its neutral position before he continued speaking, "Don't you know what bisexuality is Harry?"

Harry felt his cheeks get hot as he shook his head. But suddenly it all made sense and he was relieved to know that whatever feelings he had been having as of late had an actual label. "Well what are you?" Harry asked, dropping Draco's hand so he could pull his knees to his chest and wrap his arms around his legs.

"I'm gay if you must know," Draco replied with a wave of his hand. "No one knows this but the few men I've been with, Blaise, my mother… and now you. And it would be appreciated if you could keep that little detail to yourself."

"You've been with other men?" Harry asked, somewhat surprised. "What about women?"

"A few," Draco answered carefully. "What's with all the questions Potter?" He paused for a moment, as his eyes searched Harry's. Another very primal reaction flashed through Draco's features, disappearing just as quickly as it had arrived. "Well I mean you may not be," he said. "Gay or bisexual I mean."

"How do you figure? I kissed you," Harry felt his body fill with a warmth that started in the pit of his stomach. He shifted uncomfortably, unwrapping his arms and planting his palms on the ground behind him. He leaned back, stretching his legs out in front of him.

"I'm just saying you've never had a real gay encounter," Draco said with a slight smirk.

Harry's mouth went dry at his words. For the second time he recognized the look he had just received, it was one he had gotten from the Slytherin for years. Before he had always assumed it was a look of loathing but he now knew better than that, it was hunger. Draco was looking at him as if he were his prey and Harry couldn't help but notice the strong reaction he had knowing that.

"Well we're going to have to fix that," Harry said bravely as he locked his eyes onto Draco's.

"Do you think so?" Draco asked and leaned closer to him, his breath ghosting down the nape of Harry's neck. He shuddered as jolts of pleasure shot through his body at the sensation. "Because I think I could definitely make that happen, Potter."

Harry didn't think much after this, instead he swiftly leaned forward and crashed their mouths together. He could feel desire clouding behind his eyes, lust pooling in the pit of his stomach. Draco worked hungrily at his mouth, tugging Harry's lower lip between his teeth and nibbling lightly as if demanding entrance. Harry accepted eagerly and felt the Slytherin's tongue running along his lower lip tantalizingly slow. The gesture drove him crazy and Harry silently urged him to continue, reaching his hand up to intertwine his fingers in the blond's hair.

Draco must have sensed his urgency because at that moment he had slid his hand onto Harry's knee, tracing circles dangerously close to his hardening cock. Harry let out a soft gasp against Draco's mouth when his hand finally moved to his length. Draco pushed him back to lie on the ground, breaking the kiss. The hunger in his grey eyes was so intense that Harry had to look away. He could feel the pre-cum beginning to soak his boxers and desperately wished that his pants, which had become increasingly tight, would disappear so he could feel the other man's hand around him entirely.

"Take off your pants Potter," Draco hissed, his breath hot against Harry's ear. He pulled away and Harry quickly complied, fumbling with his belt nervously as he glanced over just in time to see Draco slide his pants down his pale hips. As Draco's erection emerged from his pants, Harry quickly realized where all of the blonde's arrogance came from. He let out a noise from deep in his throat, his pants now undone and his own cock free from the confinement of his slacks. Draco had removed his shirt so Harry did the same, tossing it carelessly by Draco's clothes.

For a brief moment Harry felt fear somewhere inside him, unsure of what he was doing. But Draco took over, moving on top of him. Draco kissed him again, his touch forceful as he reached down in-between Harry's legs and took a hold of his length. Harry's eyes rolled in the back of his head as he shuddered, relaxing against his touch. He had begun to pump his hand slowly at first but increasing his speed after he had gotten used to it. Harry had to break the kiss to keep himself from cumming right then and there.

"Touch me," Draco whispered. Harry shakily moved his hand down, his fingertips wrapping around his large cock which was also leaking from his penetrating need for Harry. He moved his hand as Draco was, grunting with each movement. He could feel his orgasm building, curling his toes and digging his nails into Draco's back in an attempt to hold it off. He focused on watching Draco, whose face was twisted up in pleasure. Their hips rocked together, each of them awkwardly working at one another.

"I'm close," Harry managed to get out just before he felt his balls tighten. He let out a loud moan as waves of pleasure hit him and he felt himself cum, the hot liquid covering Draco's hand. Although Harry had stopped moving his own hand on Draco, the blonde let out a deep sound and quickly moved his own to replace Harry's, jerking himself off as he released all over Harry's stomach. They both collapsed beside one another, panting, their bodies shining with sweat.

"Well what do you think?" Draco asked after he had caught his breath, flashing him a devilish grin. "Gay?"

Harry let out a laugh and shook his head, rolling over so he could rest his head on Draco's shoulder. Draco's arm wrapped around him, pulling him closer. They laid like that for a long time before Harry finally announced that he had to go up to bed. They both gathered up their clothes and put them back on before heading to the castle together. Harry felt exceptionally content in that moment, finally understanding himself on a level he hadn't thought was possible.

They laid like that for a long time before Harry finally announced that he had to go up to bed. They both gathered up their clothes and put them back on before heading to the castle together. Harry felt exceptionally content in that moment, finally understanding himself on a level he hadn't thought was possible.

"Are you ready to watch your team get destroyed by Slytherin on Saturday?" Draco asked as they reached the entrance to the castle. Draco stood back as if he refused to open the door. Harry shot him a quizzical look before pulling it open and motioning for Draco to go in first. As he passed, Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes. He wasn't sure if he found it endearing or ridiculous that Draco was such an arrogant git, who wouldn't even open the door for himself.

"You wish Malfoy," Harry replied with a snigger. He took initiative this time and moved to kiss Draco, his hand moving to rest on the Slytherin's hip. He held his green eyes on the grey one's for a moment before they parted ways to their separate common rooms.

"Be careful or I'll bring back the Potter Stinks badges," Draco called out behind him. A huge grin spread across his features. And in that moment Harry realized the reason he liked Draco so much was because no matter what he did, he treated him just like he would treat anybody else (by insulting him and/or gently bullying him.) He wasn't 'The Chosen One' or 'The Boy Who Lived' with Draco. To him he was just Harry and that was exactly what he had always wanted.


End file.
